Give It a Chance
by OniNoKo
Summary: AU: Elsa and Jack are two people whose childhood friendship has developed into something much more. But their love for each other is about to be put to a test. What happens, when their lives are about to change forever and one of them is not ready to take the next step? M for language, sexual content and possibly violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! :)**

**I watched **_**Frozen**_** not so long ago and it didn't take much for me to fall in love with Jelsa. Although, I didn't intend to write a fanfiction initially, when I read **_**Stand By Me **_**by Jinski, I got super inspired. So, here I am writing a fic xD**

**Before you start reading, I would like to give you some info about the names (some are the same as the original) and ages of the main characters in this story:**

**Jack Frost - 27**

**Ean Aster "Bunny" Mund **(Bunnymund)** \- 27**

**Kristoff Bjorgman - 26**

**Tia "Tooth" Wang **(Toothiana)** \- 26**

**Elsa Andersen - 23**

**Anna Andersen - 21**

**DISCLAIMER:**** While the plot for this story is mine, the characters it utilizes belong to Disney and Dreamworks. **

**ENJOY!**

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**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 1

Elsa woke up to the sound of her alarm clock, followed by an irritated grunt coming from underneath the covers on the other side of the bed. She quickly reached to switch the alarm off and opened her tired eyes to look at the time.

6:00 am.

She closed her eyes again and relaxed for a couple of seconds before she gathered enough strength to get out of the warm comfort of the bed – a decision she immediately regretted, when the chilly air came in contact with her bare skin. It was then, when Elsa realized she was wearing only a pair of lacy undies, which miserably failed to keep her warm at the moment. She hugged herself and glanced around, looking for her night gown, which she saw lying on the floor across the room. She tip-toed briskly to it, picked it up and put it on. Then she grabbed her robe, draped on a nearby chair. She walked quietly out of the bedroom and, after closing the door behind her, she stretched and yawned widely.

She went to the window, opened the blinds and peeked outside – it was still as dark and unwelcoming as it always had been at this time of the day, this time of year. She sighed and headed for the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and an unhappy grimace crawled over her otherwise gorgeous features. Ruffled hair, blood-shot eyes, and the worst part – bags under her eyes! She looked… exhausted.

It had been merely two years, since she'd moved in with him, and from a beautiful blonde she had turned into this… this… she didn't even bother to come up with the right word to describe her current image. She just bent over the sink and splashed her face with cold water.

She couldn't fathom how he was able to go to practice (which, mind you, lasted for the better part of the day) every morning, then teach little kids how to skate and play ice hockey in the late afternoon and still have strength to make love to her in the evening. Almost every evening. Sometimes even more than once. Where he got all this stamina from was beyond her. All she knew was that she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up with his tempo.

Sighing, she brushed her teeth before she went to prepare herself a large mug of strong black coffee and some light breakfast.

She placed her mug and a plate of fruit and a muffin on the counter, sat down on a high stool and opened her laptop. Then she began checking her e-mails and sipping the hot, rejuvenating, black liquid.

Once she finished eating and reading all the e-mails from her little sister, Anna, who had been advertising to her various events on campus, she looked at the time on her laptop. She had a little less than an hour before she had to leave for class, so she quickly finished the last bits of her muffin and went in the bathroom. She tied her hair in a messy bun and entered the shower.

She relaxed, letting the hot water run down her tired body and soothe her tense muscles. She closed her eyes and events from the night before flooded her thoughts. She smiled to herself. She was tired but she had to admit – she couldn't imagine her life without him. He was smart, kind-hearted, gentle, handsome and athletic, a bit cocky at times but cute nonetheless, and she just couldn't resist that smile of his. And his eyes… oh, those ice blue eyes that she could just drown in… They were so mesmerizing. She couldn't help shuddering with excitement at the memory of how he had been gazing at her the night before, while gently moving inside of her and whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't feel the time pass and suddenly she realized that she might have stayed in the shower for much longer than she had intended. Frustrated that she had to interrupt her blissful daydreaming, she stopped the water and wrapped a towel around herself.

Stepping out of the shower, she wiped the foggy mirror with her hand.

"Better," she murmured, looking at her slightly refreshed face.

The dark circles under her eyes were still visible, but she decided that a little make-up would do the trick. She untied her hair, took the hair brush lying on the shelf in front of the mirror and tried to run it through her tangled locks. A few suppressed screams of pain and a handful of fallen hair later, she checked herself in the mirror again and, satisfied with the result, went out of the bathroom and towards the bedroom.

She opened the door quietly and walked into the dark room. She glanced at the clock on her bed stand and noticed with annoyance that she was running late. _He_ was also going to be late unless he woke up soon. She walked to the bed and looked amusedly at the tiny bit of silver-white hair coming out from under the covers. She leaned down and pulled the duvet off a little, revealing his peaceful sleeping face – his lips parted slightly and his hair messy as usual. She smiled – he looked handsome even in his state of deep, oblivious sleep.

"Jack…?" she said in a soft voice, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Mmmm," was all she got in reply.

"Wake up, Jack. You have practice in an hour; you're going to be late," she repeated, raising her voice a little.

This time there was no response from him at all and she started shaking him harder, unaware of the fact that a hand was creeping out from under the covers. She remained oblivious to Jack's mischievous plan until something grabbed the arm she was supporting herself on, causing her to land on her back atop the soft mattress. She shrieked in surprise and opened her eyes to see a very naked Jack Frost, hovering over her.

"Good morning, my little snowflake," Jack said in a low voice, a seductive smile playing across his lips.

Elsa smiled at the nickname and closed her eyes, as Jack leaned down and kissed her softly. He then deepened the kiss and let his hands roam her body, a little annoyed that a towel was covering the major part of what was of great interest to him at the moment. He released her lips and proceeded to plant kisses down her neck. Elsa moaned when he slid one hand under her towel and glided it upwards to her breasts.

"Jack," she gasped, trying to bring herself back to reality. She was enjoying this too much. "Jack, I can't. I'm already late," she said in an attempt to push him away, but the difference in their size and weight worked to his advantage, rendering her unable to break free.

"Mhm," was all he produced absentmindedly, which showed her that his attention was completely dedicated to something else at present.

"Jack, I'm serious! I need to leave," she said pushing him a bit harder this time.

He sighed against her skin and shifted his weight to let her go. She stood up and walked to the wardrobe. He prompted himself on one elbow and watched her get ready, following every movement she made.

She was gorgeous. Her flawless body moved with the grace of falling snowflakes. Her platinum blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders like reflected sunlight on a winter landscape. Her creamy skin was soft like newly fallen snow. Her pink lips reminded him of a rose that had just bloomed. And her eyes he could only compare to clear blue sapphires.

"Jack? I'm talking to you," he heard and snapped out of his trance, realizing Elsa was now standing right in front of him.

"I really have to run now. You need to get up too," she said and leaned down to kiss his lips. "We'll continue our _activity_ tonight, okay?"

"I'll make sure we do," he replied with a suggestive smirk and winked at her.

"See you later," she said, smiling, and left the room.

Jack heard the front door of the apartment close. He lied down for a few seconds before he got out of bed and started getting ready.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please R&amp;R! I'm looking forward to any comments, criticism and suggestions you might have :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**The parts of this chapter written in **_italics_** are flashbacks.**

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CHAPTER 2

Elsa hurried inside the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. She waited for the doors to close and turned around to examine her looks in the mirror behind her.

She was surprised she had actually managed to dress herself decently, given that she'd left in such a hurry. She was wearing a pair of light-blue skinny jeans, tucked into silver-grey, knee-high boots, a purple blouse accompanied by a dark green scarf and a black leather jacket – a gift from Jack – which hugged her form perfectly.

Her hair, on the other hand, was a complete mess so she hurriedly put it into a loose braid. Then she then turned her attention to the dark circles under her eyes and frowned, touching her face gently. Rummaging through her bag, she finally found her foundation and quickly applied some under her eyes. This did not erase the tired look but at least it masked its more visible traits. Finally, she took out a tiny flask of perfume and applied some behind her ears and on the inner sides of her wrists.

She looked at her watch just as the doors of the elevator slid open. Realizing she only had 15 minutes before her class started, she cursed under her breath and rushed towards the exit.

"Good morning, Kai!" she greeted the porter, as she sprinted out of the apartment building.

"Good morning, Miss Elsa! Have a nice day!" the man called after her but she barely heard him.

She ran to her bike, chained outside the entrance of the building, and took her keys out to unlock it. Leaving her bag in the basket in front, she grabbed her helmet from the side of the steering wheel and secured it on her head. Without a second to spare, she mounted the bike and went on the bike lane, pedaling as fast as she could towards the university.

She shivered slightly, when the cold November air brushed against her face. The good thing about it was that the breeze was refreshing. The bad thing was that, judging by the temperature, it would start snowing soon and she wouldn't be able to ride her bike to the university anymore, or anywhere else for that matter.

Elsa frowned at the thought. She could just foresee the conversation she would have with Jack, who would insist on driving her to class every morning and would refuse to hear anything about her using the public transport. That, however, wasn't the only reason why she hated the idea of not being able to use the bike in winter. The main reason why she loved biking was that it helped her clear her mind and have some alone time.

The bike was yet another gift from Jack, who had bought it for her after she had refused his offer to buy her a car. He had insisted that, regardless of its central location, his apartment was still far away from the university and a car would be useful to her. So, after she had dismissed his offer as an unnecessary expense, he'd bought her a bike. It was still an expensive model, but she'd decided to just accept it and enjoy it.

Although biking to class would take her a good half an hour, Jack's apartment was indeed not that far away from the university. At least not as far away as her parents' house used to be.

Her thoughts went back to the house she used to call home. It had been a gorgeous two-storey house located in the suburbs, which had given her and Anna the opportunity to grow up in a safe, peaceful environment. The house had had both a front and a back yard, allowing plenty of space for games and outdoor activities. As kids, whenever the weather was unwelcoming, she and Anna would imagine the house was a castle and would pretend they were princesses – they would wear their old Halloween fairy costumes and run around, supposedly dancing to imaginary music in an imaginary ball room.

Elsa smiled at the memory. Everything had been so simple back then… before the accident…

The smile vanished from her lips. Shaking her head, she let out an annoyed sigh. She didn't want to think about this in the best of times let alone now when she was late for class. Unfortunately, it was too late – the painful memory had already invaded her thoughts.

She had been ten years old and Anna had just turned eight. It had happened on a sunny morning a few days before Christmas…

* * *

_The sound of small footsteps stirred Elsa from her sleep. She felt the mattress sink under the weight of whom she assumed was her little sister._

"_Elsa! Wake up!" Anna exclaimed, shaking her slightly. "There's snow outside!" _

"_Anna… go back to sleep," she replied in a drowsy voice._

"_But it's morning already! I wanna play!" Anna insisted and, after getting no response, she leaned forward and whispered in Elsa's ear. "Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

_At those words, Elsa's eyes shot open and a smile graced her lips. She pushed herself of her pillow and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, earning a happy squeal from her little sister, who jumped to the floor and quickly ran to the door. _

_The two of them tip-toed downstairs, careful not to wake their parents, as they passed by the master bedroom. Once they reached the door leading to the back yard, they slipped their bare feet into their winter boots and grabbed their jackets before running outside. _

_They jumped around in the newly fallen snow and made a few snow angles, relishing the fresh morning air. Satisfied with the experience, they started making large piles of snow, smoothing them out to form spheres, which they then used to build their snowman. After half an hour of uninterrupted effort, their masterpiece was complete. They stepped back to examine it and realized that somehow, despite their own size, they had managed to make the snowman quite big. Anna was so excited about it, that she started climbing it. Before Elsa could react, her younger sister slipped and fell to the ground. _

"_Anna!" Elsa gasped in horror and rushed towards her. _

_She took Anna in her arms, realizing that her sister had hit her head on a rock underneath the snow. Anna was unconscious and bleeding from a dreadful looking gash on the side of her head. _

"_Mommy! Daddy!" Elsa shouted with tears in her eyes._

* * *

They'd had to take Anna to the hospital, where she had been kept for observation for about a week. Consequently, Anna had spent Christmas – her favorite holiday – in a hospital bed. After the event, their father had forbidden her from playing with Anna outside the house without any adult supervision.

Even to this day Elsa felt guilty for what had happened. Yet she had to admit – every cloud had a silver lining. If it hadn't been for this accident, she would have probably never met Jack.

As she took another turn on the bike lane, she mused how the fact that she was now living with him still seemed rather surreal at times, mainly because it was something she hadn't planned to happen for at least another couple of years. Contrary to her plans, however, it had kind of just happened.

Following the accident, she had become overprotective of Anna. The instinct to take care of her little sister had intensified even more when their parents had died four years later. She still vividly remembered the night when the police officers had appeared at their front door with the news of the car crash.

That night, life as she'd known it had come crashing down and from a sixteen-year-old she had turned into an adult overnight. All responsibilities had fallen onto her – food, bills, the house and, most of all, Anna. Of course, her parents had left them both a considerable amount of money, but that had solved only one of her problems.

Luckily for her, Jack had arrived as soon as he had heard the terrible news. He had just started his second year of university, but had abandoned his studies with no hesitation and rushed to her assistance. He had helped arrange the funeral and deal with all other formalities, from closing bank accounts to sorting through her parents' belongings. He had remained by her side until he had been sure both she and Anna were emotionally stable enough to stay by themselves. After returning on campus, he would give her a call every day to check up on her. If he couldn't call, he would always make sure to at least text her. Thinking back, Elsa realized that it had been about that time when their friendship had started growing into something much more special.

Living in her birth house after her parents' death had been painful for her. Their home hadn't been the same without them and she'd known Anna had felt the same way. However, she had decided they would remain in the house at least until Anna had finished high school.

At the beginning of Anna's first university semester, Jack had suggested it might be a good idea for the younger girl to live on campus. His argument had been that it would help her make friends much easier, which, knowing Anna, would make her very happy. He had said it was time for her to let her little sister grow up. Deep in her heart, Elsa had known he'd been right and despite her reluctance to make such a drastic decision, after discussing it with Anna, they had agreed the house had held too many memories and in the end they had chosen to sell it. It had been time for them move on from the past.

Soon after, Anna had moved to live on campus, sharing a dorm room with a girl by the name of Astrid. She had been happy that her little sister was making her own way in the world.

Just when Anna had been about to move out of the house, however, Elsa had suddenly realized that she herself had had nowhere to go. She had been so preoccupied with making sure Anna found a place to live, that she had completely ignored looking for one of her own. She definitely hadn't wanted to live on campus – too many people for her taste – and it had been too late for her to apply anyway. Staying in the house had been out of the question because they had had to vacate it as soon as possible. When she had shared her problem with Jack, he had smiled and told her it had all been settled the moment she had decided to sell the house. She had looked at him with a question in her eyes and he'd explained that she would simply move in with him.

It had taken this much for Jack to decide the future of their relationship. Yet, while they had been together for nearly three years, Elsa hadn't been convinced that living with him had been such a good idea. One would think their relationship hadn't been going well. On the contrary, it had been perfect. However, in her mind, moving in with him should have occurred only after she graduated and it happening prematurely had messed up her plans. Surely, she had considered living with Jack and maybe even marrying him and having a couple of kids, but she'd wanted to develop herself professionally first. She'd wanted to build a career as an ice sculptor – this had been her dream.

But she hadn't really had a choice.

Of course, Jack had done everything possible to make her feel comfortable. At that point he had already been playing for _The Guardians – _one of the more successful ice hockey teams in the country – for four years and had also been one of the team's stars, along with Bunny and Kristoff, so it hadn't taken much time for him to become financially stable. That had enabled him to afford the huge apartment they were living in.

The apartment itself was part of a luxurious building, located next to one of the largest parks in the city. Structurally, it was a mixture between a maisonette and a penthouse. The main floor consisted of an open plan kitchen and living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. The living space was bright and tastefully furnished. While the interior design was undeniably minimalistic, it provided for a comfortable and homey environment. Similarly, the bedroom was spacious but cozy, equipped with a king size, bed stands, a wall wardrobe and a make-up desk, which he had added after her arrival. The bathroom, of course, had to be proportionate to the rest of the apartment, which made it quite large. Elsa, pragmatic as she was, thought it was a complete waste of space but secretly she loved the fact that it was big enough to fit a Jacuzzi tub.

In one of the corners of the living room there was a spiral staircase, which led to the upper part of the apartment. The second floor had been a rooftop balcony, which Jack had turned into something entirely different. What used to be a completely open space was now covered with a large glass construction. The improvised room had a special air-conditioning system installed which allowed for a constant subzero temperature throughout the year. This was Elsa's atelier. Jack had designed it for her, so that she could work on her ice sculptures whenever she pleased.

The cold room, as they called it, had already been there, when she'd arrived, which led her to believe Jack had been planning to ask her to move in with him since before he had bought the apartment. The thought had scared her a little. But in the end, everything seemed to have fallen into place and Elsa had started enjoying her life with Jack more and more. Two years later she couldn't imagine living without him.

Suddenly, Elsa realized she had reached the university. Getting off her bike, she quickly locked it to a post. Then she ran towards her classroom.

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**A/N: I hope you had fun reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Elsa was already fifteen minutes late when she reached the classroom. She paused outside the door to catch her breath and then carefully turned the doorknob, hoping that just maybe she'd be able to sneak in unnoticed. To her misery, however, the door made the loudest possible screeching sound in the history of doors, which caused all eyes to lock onto her. She stepped in and smiled nervously, closing the door behind her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before tip-toeing to the nearest empty seat.

"As I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted…" the professor said, giving Elsa a mortifying look before continuing with the lecture.

Elsa hated drawing attention to herself, especially in this class. Alana Weselton, the Art History professor, was a notorious, stuck-up bitch and, yes, even Elsa would use the exact same words to describe her. Not to mention that the class was boring. She loved art in all its aspects, but even art wasn't worth this torture. She sighed and hoped that, when the lesson was over, she would be able to sneak out of the classroom without Prof. Weselton noticing her.

An hour later, the class was finally over and Elsa made a futile attempt to mingle with the crowd.

"Miss Andersen," she heard her, just as she was about to exit the room. "May I have a minute of your precious time?"

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed deeply, preparing herself for the speech that was coming, and turned around with a fake smile across her lips.

"Of course, Professor," she said, trying not sound sarcastic, and walked over to the desk. "How may I help you?"

"Miss Andersen," the obnoxious woman spoke without making an effort to look at Elsa. "Does passing this class feature in your plans?"

"Yes, Professor, of course," Elsa replied, conceal her annoyance as well as she could.

"Is that so…? Because this is the third time you've been late for my class this semester," the woman replied finally looking up at Elsa.

Elsa could have sworn that a snake's fangs would produce less venom than this woman's eyes. "I'm sorry, I just…" she offered, before she was cut off.

"Miss Andersen, I trust you do not consider fame to be enough of a reason for you to disrupt the peace in my class."

"E-Excuse me?" she stammered and blinked in confusion.

"Your relationship with Mr. Jack Frost is no secret, Miss Andersen, but I have to tell you I am not at all impressed by celebrities. So, I suggest you ask Mr. Frost to buy an alarm clock for you unless you want to fail this class. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to attend to," the professor said and turned her attention back to the books lying on the desk in front of her.

Elsa was at loss for words. She didn't know how exactly to react, so she just bid goodbye and left the room. Once outside, she sighed heavily. Did people really consider her famous? Surely, she would accompany Jack to charity events and such whenever he asked her to, and there might have been a few paparazzi photos of her in some gossip magazine, but that barely made her famous. Did it…? She sighed once again, shaking her head, and hurried towards her next class.

* * *

It was 12:30 and Elsa was sitting in the university's cafeteria, waiting for Anna to show up. Her little sister had messaged her earlier asking her to meet up for lunch because she had something very important to discuss.

"Elsa!" she heard and looked up from her textbook to see Anna waving at her from the opposite end of the room.

Anna turned her attention to a blonde girl with what Elsa thought was freakishly long hair and said something to her, then gave her a brief hug and headed in Elsa's direction. She was wearing a cheerleader's outfit. Elsa smiled to herself. Her little sister was only in her second year and she was already the captain of the university's cheer leading squad. Not to mention that she brought the meaning of cheer leading to a whole new level.

"Hi!" Anna greeted and gave her a kiss on the cheek before sitting down opposite of her. "Sorry I was late but Punzie was asking me something about our cheer leading routine. I swear, this girl has the attention span of a goldfish. I had to explain to her the same thing ov- wow! You look…" Her voice trailed off and she frowned, as her eyes finally settled on Elsa's face.

"Horrible?" Elsa finished with a sad smile.

"I was gonna go for 'exhausted', but I guess 'horrible' sums it up pretty well. What happened to you?"

"Jack happened," Elsa replied and took a bite from her sandwich.

"Well, that's hardly something to complain about, isn't it?" Anna chuckled suggestively.

"Normally, I wouldn't because, between you and me, he's amazing, but it's just that recently I've been tired as it is with all the research I've been doing for my dissertation and his insatiability doesn't help much. The problem is that somehow he always manages to lure me in."

Anna laughed. "Don't worry, everything will be better once you graduate. Just bear with it for another six months."

"Yeah, I just hope I won't look like an absolute zombie at the end of these six months. And that's _if _I graduate," Elsa replied with a tired sigh.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"I was fifteen minutes late for Weselton's class this morning… for the third time this semester."

"Ouch!" Anna winced, knowing well what a nuisance that professor can be. "Did she give you a speech again?"

"You bet," Elsa replied and grimaced at the memory. "She said she hoped I didn't consider fame a reason enough to disturb the peace in her class," she quoted. "Apparently, I'm famous, being Jack's girlfriend and all."

"Don't pay much attention to that old hag," Anna said with a smile.

"Yeah, you're right," Elsa replied, focusing on her half-eaten sandwich. There was a moment of silence before she looked up at Anna and smiled. "Anyway, you said you had something important to discuss with me?"

Suddenly, Anna became visibly excited, smiled widely and started fidgeting. Knowing her little sister, this attitude foreshadowed big news, so she braced herself for whatever was coming.

"Kristoff invited me to go with him to the ball!" Anna squealed in delight, as she bounced up and down in her seat, clapping her hands rapidly.

Elsa blinked in confusion. "What ball?"

Anna's cheery attitude deflated instantly and she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "The Christmas charity ball that you and Jack are also attending? Rings any bells?" Anna droned in a monotonous voice, looking at her sister in anticipation of any reaction. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about it!"

Elsa gasped. She had indeed absolutely forgotten about the event. "I've been so busy in the past couple weeks that it completely escaped my mind…"

"That's fine. We still have this Saturday to look for dresses," Anna said, waving her hand dismissively.

"What do you mean 'this Saturday'? It's a _Christmas_ ball – it takes place on Christmas Eve. There's almost a month-" Elsa protested but Anna cut her off.

"No, this year it will take place on December 1. Didn't Jack tell you that?" she asked and, when Elsa shook her head, she continued, "Well, I guess he's forgotten too. After all he's been quite busy himself, if you know what I mean," she said with a suggestive wink at which Elsa just smiled slightly and shook her head. "Apparently there was some mix-up in the organization and they had to move it. December 1 is next Friday, so we only have this Saturday to go shopping for dresses."

Elsa sighed tiredly. Knowing what 'shopping for dresses' meant in her little sister's dictionary, she would have to spend the whole day at the mall, going in and out of every possible shop until Anna had tried all kinds of outfits and shoes on.

"Fine," she breathed, aware that her agreeing to it didn't really matter because Anna would drag her to the mall anyway. "Let's meet at 10:30 am in front of the mall."

"Yay!" Anna exclaimed and stood up.

"Aren't you going to have lunch?"

"No. Unfortunately, I need to leave for cheer leading practice," she replied, grabbing her things. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Anna gave her another kiss on the cheek before heading towards the exit of the cafeteria. Elsa watched her go and turned her attention back to the textbook on the table.

So, Kristoff had finally made a move on her sister.

"Well, it took him long enough," Elsa muttered to herself.

Anna and Kristoff had met at one of Bunny's parties about a year and half ago. It had been obvious from the very begging that he'd liked her but he had been too shy to do anything about it. Jack and Bunny had often made fun of him because of that. The truth was, however, that even if he had made a move back then, Anna would have probably not even noticed. After all, at the time she had been totally obsessed with her now ex-boyfriend, Hans.

Elsa really didn't understand what her sister had seen in that guy. He'd been an obnoxious, ill-mannered jerk who'd treated her sister nicely only because somehow he had found out that she had inherited money from her parents. Luckily, four months into their relationship, Anna had found out he had been cheating on her and she'd broken up with him. To make thing even better, soon after he'd gotten himself expelled from university.

After the break-up, betrayed and heartbroken, Anna hadn't wanted to look at another guy for months, but after encountering Kristoff several times at get-togethers, she had started regaining her self-esteem and confidence. Kristoff was showering her with attention and was fulfilling every one of her requests. Yet, somehow he'd hadn't managed to gather the courage to ask her out until now.

Elsa smiled to herself, knowing that with Kristoff her little sister was in good hands. He was responsible and reliable and, more importantly, he was one of Jack's best friends.

Not having any more classes for the day, she finished her sandwich and headed for the library.

* * *

Elsa stretched and leaned back her chair, rubbing her tired eyes. She turned to look out the window and noticed it was already dark outside. Glancing at her watch, she realized with surprise that it was already 7:00 pm, which meant she had she spent almost seven hours in the library. She yawned and, deciding it was time to go home, she packed her things quickly and exited the library.

While walking towards her bike, she took out her phone, noting the three missed calls from Jack. Sighing, she dialed his number.

"_Hi baby! I was calling you earlier," _she heard his voice on the other side of the line. _"I came home an hour ago and you weren't here, so I decided to check up on you." _

"Yeah, sorry, I was at the library and my phone was on silent. I didn't hear it vibrate in my bag. I'm heading home now, though."

"_That's alright, I just wanted to hear your voice,"_ he said and she smiled slightly. _"Have you eaten anything yet?"_

"Yes, I had something at the café earlier," she lied. The truth was she had totally forgotten about food after she'd had her sandwich at lunch and she really didn't want to worry him, knowing how worked up he would get whenever she skipped meals.

"_Okay, good," _Jack said, obviously not sensing her lie._ "Listen, would you mind if I go for a drink with Bunny and Kristoff? I won't take long."_

"No, that's fine," Elsa replied. "Enjoy and have fun!"

"_Thanks! Take care on the way home."_

"Will do."

"_I'll see you later then. I love you!" _he said.

"I love you too!" she replied and hung up.

By the time their conversation was over, she had reached her bike. She unchained it and headed home.

* * *

**A/N: In case any of you are wondering, I would like to explain the name 'Alana Wiselton' and also why I chose 'Andersen' as Elsa's family name. I needed a name for this female character, and since I don't want to implement any OCs, I decided to use the last name of the Duke of Weselton and the first name of the actor voicing him, namely Alan Tudyk.**

**As for Elsa - I chose to use the name of Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote the tale of **_**The Snow Queen. **_**Also, 'Andersen' is a Nordic name, so I thought it would suit her well.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Jack entered the pub he and his friends usually visited. It was a nice, cozy Irish pub which he and Bunny had discovered during their first year at university and it had quickly become their get-away place. They would go there on various occasions but mainly when they wanted to just relax and enjoy a cold beer.

He glanced around, looking for Kristoff and Bunny.

Ean Aster "Bunny" Mund was Jack's oldest and best friend. They had known each other for as long as Jack could remember. In fact, they were more like brothers. After all, they had practically grown up together. Bunny's parents were Jack's godfather and godmother and they had taken him in after the tragedy that had torn his own family apart. He had been fourteen at the time.

His relationship with Bunny was a very honest one. They never kept secrets from each other and that was what made their friendship so strong, even though in the eyes of someone who didn't know them they would probably look more like enemies due to all the pranks they constantly pulled on each other.

The nickname 'Bunny' was actually Jack's creation. He had come up with it shortly after he had met Bunny for the first time at the age of 5. It was right after Bunny's family had moved from Australia and they had come to visit Jack's parents. To the other boy's dismay, Jack had concluded that Bunny's name sounded too much like 'Easter' and, given his slightly longer upper front teeth, the boy reminded him of a rabbit. So, he'd established that he would be referring to his new friend as the 'Easter Bunny' and after a few years left it at just 'Bunny'. It hadn't taken long for the nickname to catch on and now everybody knew him by it.

Kristoff, on the other hand, had joined Jack's circle of friends much later on. They had met, when Kristoff had been recruited to play for _The Guardians_ a year after he and Bunny had joined the team. Because of his shy personality, Kristoff hadn't approached anyone from the team for quite some time. At some point, however, Jack and Bunny had decided to invite him for a drink and it had turned out that Kristoff could be quite the good company once he loosened up a little. After that, they had started hanging out with him more often and he'd soon become one of Jack's closest friends.

"Over here, you overgrown snowman!"

Hearing the strong Australian accent he knew too well, he turned around to follow it. He saw his friends sitting at a booth at the far end of the pub and headed in their direction.

"You're late! Did you have to beg your woman for permission to go out or somethin'?" Bunny teased, grinning widely.

"Shuddup, you Easter Kangaroo!" came Jack's reply, just as the waitress stopped by the table to take his order. "So, what's up?" he asked after turning his attention back to his friends.

"Oh nothing really… Kristoff here has finally made a move on Anna. He's invited her to the Christmas charity ball we're attending," Bunny explained, casually gesturing at Kristoff, who blushed bright red and stared down at his beer mug.

"Took you long enough," Jack chuckled and patted his embarrassed friend on the shoulder.

"Speaking of which," Bunny's spoke again, as he turned to Jack. "Should I be taking the champagne out yet?"

Relieved that he was no longer in the spotlight of the conversation, Kristoff looked up. "What are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"Well, lover boy here," Bunny continued, pointing at Jack, "has the ambition of becoming a family man."

"Really? Are you going to propose to Elsa?" Kristoff asked wide-eyed with a surprised smile on his face.

"I'm planning to," Jack replied with a smile of his own.

"That's great! Congratulations!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"Just don't mention anything to Anna 'cause, knowing her, she'll get super excited and might end up proposing instead of me," Jack warned and the three of them laughed.

"By the way, mate, what are you waiting for anyway? You bought the ring three months ago," Bunny said, looking at Jack.

Jack looked at the beer the waitress had just served him. "I'm waiting for the perfect moment," he replied rather sentimentally and took a sip of the cold, amber-colored liquid.

"Careful there, snowball," Bunny said, as he landed one hand on Jack's shoulder, "I think you're starting to melt from all the warm feelings."

"What do you know? You can only think with your Easter eggs," Jack replied teasingly, causing them to laugh again.

A couple of hours and a prank later (namely after Jack 'accidentally' dropped all the contents of the salt container at the table in Bunny's beer, while he was in the bathroom), the three men decided to call it a night and left, each heading to his respective home.

* * *

**A/N: If you think this marriage proposal is the center of the story, you're wrong! The real story hasn't even started yet :D **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**The parts of this chapter written in **_italics_** are flashbacks.**

* * *

CHAPTER 5

"I'm home," Jack announced, as he entered the apartment and locked the door.

There was no answer. He frowned and glanced at his watch, noting it was 10:30 pm, which meant Elsa should have been home by now.

"Elsa?" he called again, but once more got no response.

Kicking off his shoes, he entered the living room only to witness an amusing sight.

Scattered over the floor around the coffee table were paper sheets filled with all sorts of notes and scribbles. The coffee table itself was overloaded with books, open and closed. The little paper-free space was occupied by a plate of food remnants and a half-drank cup of what now merely resembled black tea with milk.

Chuckling softly, Jack turned his attention to the couch, where under another pile of notes was a sleeping Elsa. A soft sigh escaped his lips, as he left his jacket on a nearby chair and moved to kneel next to the couch. Taking a moment to look at her, he smiled to himself - she was so beautiful he couldn't get enough. He caressed her cheek with his thumb and leaned over to kiss her forehead gingerly.

"You must have been really tired," he whispered and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.

He proceeded to collect the paper sheets covering her body. He picked them one by one, careful not to wake her, which he was about to do when he almost laughed out loud at the sight of her clothes. She was dressed in a blue hoody and a grey pair of sweatpants. Both pieces of clothing had formerly belonged to him but had somehow ended up in her possession shortly after she'd moved in. They were a few sizes too big for her and sometimes he thought she could get lost inside. Normally, Elsa wouldn't wear this outfit around the house. Her usual attire consisted of a pair of leggings and a loose blouse. The special thing about this outfit was that she only wore it when she wanted to signify she didn't want to be bothered or, more like, jumped by him. It was an unspoken rule that, when clad in those, she was either busy or tired. For this reason, Jack liked to refer to it as 'the passion killer'.

Luckily, he managed to suppress his laugh and, after carefully removing the book lying on top of her stomach, he gently scooped Elsa off the couch.

"Let's get you to bed," he whispered, securing his grip on her.

Elsa stirred slightly but didn't wake up. He carried her quietly to the bedroom and laid her down on the mattress. Then he pulled the duvet over her and leaned down to give her another loving kiss on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams, little snowflake," he whispered, before heading out and quietly closing the door.

Once back in the living room, Jack looked around not quite sure what to do next. After a moment he decided – he picked his jacket from the chair and took out a small, blue velvety box. Then he sat down on the couch, opened the box and stared at its contents.

He had spent quite some time looking for the perfect ring and there it was – a gorgeous combination of white gold and a single clear blue sapphire accompanied by two small diamonds, inlaid in the metal on both sides of main gem.

"It's been almost five years, huh…" he murmured to himself.

It had been almost five years since he and Elsa had made their relationship official and almost fourteen since they had first met. Time seemed to pass so quickly. They had been through so much together and Jack couldn't help feeling close to her, closer than he had ever felt to anyone, even Bunny, whom he considered his brother. He loved her more than words could ever describe. She was his soul mate, his other half. Somehow he'd known she was going to play a special role in his life from the very first moment he'd laid eyes on her all these years ago.

* * *

_It was yet another gloomy, cold, winter day. The sky was grey as it had been for the past week. The sun looked like a dim light bulb behind the clouds and that was if you could actually see it. The only nice thing was the snow. It had been piling for several days and everything was covered in white. Jack found it to be very soothing. _

_He was sitting on a swing at a playground not far from Bunny's house, rocking slightly back and forth, staring at his feet and feeling sorry for himself. _

_Six months had passed since his godparents, Bunny's mom and dad, had taken him in, doing their best to accommodate him and make him a part of their family. However, Christmas had just passed and it had made him feel terrible. He loved Bunny's family and was very grateful for everything they had done for him so far. The problem was that Christmas wasn't the same anymore. He missed his parents. He missed his little sister. _

_The sound of footsteps in the snow brought him out of his thoughts. Not in the mood for human interaction, he decided to ignore whoever that was and didn't bother to even look up, hoping he would be left in peace. _

_The footsteps drew nearer and stopped. For about a minute there was complete silence. _

"_Hello," he heard and his determination to disregard the intruder faltered._

_It wasn't the greeting that caught his attention but the voice that had carried it - a little girl's voice. Surprised, he immediately glanced up. _

_A couple of meters away from him, indeed stood a little girl. She looked to be about ten years old and, in his opinion, she was a pretty dress and a few happy animals short of being a miniature Disney princess. Her skin was pale, with only her cheeks graced by a light shade of pink, and her platinum-blonde hair reached down to her shoulders, framing her angelic face. Her lips reminded him of rose petals and her eyes… they were the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen – big and clear blue._

'Just like sapphires,'_ he thought. _

_She was wearing a light-blue jacket that reached down to her mid thighs, thick grey leggings and a pair of dark-blue winter boots, decorated with a snowflake pattern. _

_He noticed she was fidgeting slightly with the hem of her jacket and, after a moment or two, she spoke again._

_"I'm Elsa," she said and extended her arm to him in greeting._

_He sat there dumbfounded. After a few moments, his mind reminded him of social norms and he realized he'd been staring at her in silence for longer than appropriate. So, shaking off his shock, he smiled softly at her._

"_Hi, Elsa. I'm Jack. Nice to meet you," he replied and took her hand, shaking in lightly._

_The girl accepted his gesture and pulled her hand out of his hold. She studied him briefly, her face conveying no emotion in particular. Then she looked at the ground and pouted, as if she was trying to make the toughest decision ever. He continued to observe her with interest, the corner of his lips curving upwards in amusement. _

_A few seconds later, it seemed like she'd made up her mind. She looked at him again and spoke._

_"Would you like to build a snowman, Jack?" _

_The question once again took him off-guard, but he this time he simply smiled. "Yeah."_

_And so they built a snowman. They added pebbles for eyes, mouth and buttons and two sticks for arms. He was quite surprised when Elsa took a big carrot out of her pocket and attached it to the face of the snowman as a nose. Then it was complete. _

_They stood in front of it and evaluated their creation, satisfied with the result. He peeked down at Elsa – she was smiling. Somehow, that made him happy, so he felt the urge to make her smile even more. Without a warning, he jumped behind the snowman, grabbed the sticks which served as its arms, and started moving them around._

"_I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" he said in a made-up voice and Elsa giggled. _

_His eyes widened and his smile grew bigger. He had made her laugh. His heart fluttered and suddenly he felt so much better. This little girl had come into his life merely an hour ago and making her laugh already seemed like the best thing he had ever done. _

_He would have continued entertaining her if he hadn't noticed that, unfortunately, it was getting late. Seeing as the sun had started setting, he offered to walk her home. She took a moment to assess the situation and, to his relief, agreed. _

"_Do you always play alone?" he asked her, as they walked. _

_She shook her head. "No, I used to come to the playground with my little sister, Anna."_

"_And you don't anymore?"_

"_I can't. I'm not allowed to play with her anymore," she replied._

"_What happened? I-If you don't mind me asking…"_

"_I couldn't protect her. She fell down and hit her head and she had to spend Christmas at the hospital. But she's okay now," Elsa said, her eyes fixed on the ground._

_At these words something pierced his heart and all the joy he had felt earlier vanished. He grew quiet. _

_They walked in silence, until Elsa suddenly stopped. _

"_This is my house," she announced and he looked at the building behind her. It was impressively big for a house. _

"_Can I ask you one last thing?" he said and looked at her. She nodded. "Why did you decide to talk to me today? How can you be certain that I'm not somebody bad?"_

_Elsa shrugged. "You just didn't look like it. But you definitely looked like you could use a friend."_

_He smiled. "So do you want to be friends then?" he asked her. _

_She nodded, a big smile forming on her lips._ "_Thanks for walking me home, Jack."_

"_Well, friends keep each other safe, right?" came his reply and she nodded again._

_He watched her go inside the house and then continued walking down the street._

* * *

Jack smiled at the memory. They hadn't known it back then, but this encounter had been the beginning of something very special.

The next day, both of them had returned to the playground, secretly hoping they'd meet each other again. And they had.

Despite their age difference, it hadn't taken them long to become friends. Their friendship, however, had remained a secret. They had decided the time they spent together was too precious for anyone else to be involved and had managed to keep it private for surprising two years. The secrecy had ended when one day Bunny had become suspicious of Jack's sneaking around and had decided to follow him. In the end, he had been forced to introduce Bunny to Elsa.

What Jack had liked best about their relationship at the time had been that Elsa hadn't asked any questions. She had accepted him as he had been there and then and his past had been of no interest to her. He'd welcomed this gladly, because his past had been something he'd wanted to lock away and forget forever.

But deep down he'd known that one day she'd ask him and he would have to tell her everything… everything about is family. That day had come shortly after he'd started his second year at university. He still remembered it clearly…

* * *

_It was about 09:00 pm when he walked out of the shower of his dorm room. He'd barely managed to slip on a pair of boxer briefs when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and smiled. _

"_Hi there, little snowflake!" he greeted. "I was just thinking about you."_

"Jack,"_ he heard Elsa say and his smile vanished in an instant. There was something alarming about the way she had said his name. Something wasn't right. _

"_Elsa, what's wrong?" he asked, his concern rising._

_He heard her take a deep shaky breath before she replied. _"My parents… they… they were in an accident… They're gone, Jack."

_His stomach dropped. It was almost as if the past had come to haunt him. For a couple of moments, he wasn't sure how to react, but then he snapped out of it and spoke. "I'm coming! I'll be there as fast as I can," he said and hung up._

_He grabbed a pair of jeans and a hoody that were lying around and put them on. Once fully clothed, he took a sports bag from under the bed and stuffed it with some clothes and a few essentials. Then he snatched his car keys from the desk, slipped into his sneakers and rushed out of the room. _

_His university was a three-hour drive away from where Elsa lived. He drove like a madman and took the distance in half the time. He knew he would probably get a few speeding tickets but he didn't care – he just had to get to her._

_He parked the car in front of Elsa's home and got out. Taking a moment to compose himself, he looked at the house and sighed before he went up the stairs leading to the front door. He rang the doorbell and shortly after Elsa opened. _

"_Jack," she breathed._

_His heart broke at the sight of her. Her face was paler than he had ever seen it, her lips were dry, her eyes were bloodshot but there was no sign of tears, and she was trembling. She looked as if she was going to faint any moment._

_Elsa made a step back to let him in and he entered the house, closing the door. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into a tight hug and she started crying, burying her face into his chest and clutching his hoodie. Her legs gave out and she sank to the floor, bringing him with her. _

"_That's right, let it go…" he whispered softly as he rocked her gently back and forth and caressed her back soothingly, aware that, until now, Elsa had tried to stay strong for her sister and this was most likely the first time she allowed herself to cry after learning about her parents. "I'm here now." _

_After a while, her sobs died down and he realized Elsa had cried herself to sleep. He picked her up gently and carried her upstairs to her room. He put her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Then he knelt down and gently kissed her forehead._

"_Sweet dreams, little snowflake," he said quietly and exited the room. _

_He walked down the hall to Anna's room. Opening the door slowly, he tiptoed to her bed. She was fast asleep. He pulled the duvet to cover her shoulders, so she wouldn't catch a cold, and left the room just as quietly as he had entered it. _

_After making sure both girls were sleeping soundly, he went downstairs and lied down on the couch in the living room. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about the upcoming days, and soon dozed off._

* * *

He remembered how hard the following few days had been to deal with. Elsa had had to take care of a very distraught fourteen-year-old Anna, who couldn't stop crying. Thus, she'd had to suppress her own feelings and emotions and be strong for her sister's sake.

After consulting with her, he had arranged the funeral and the reception that came after it. He had called Bunny, who had come for more emotional support. The only thing left had been actually going through everything. To everybody's relief, it had passed faster than expected.

Then the time had come. The time to let her in…

* * *

_It was already evening and everybody, who'd come to the funeral, had left after expressing their condolences to Elsa and Anna. The two girls were now upstairs and Elsa was once again trying to comfort her little sister. He and Bunny were downstairs having a drink._

"_Well, mate, I think I'll be leaving now," Bunny spoke, as he set down his glass and stood up. "I'll go to my parent's house for the night and tomorrow I'm going back to the university. Are you gonna be okay?"_

"_Yeah," he sighed. "I'll stay for a couple of days. I want to make sure they are fine before I go back. Say hi to your parents for me."_

"_Sure," Bunny replied and gave him a brotherly pat on the shoulder._

_After Bunny left, he decided to go outside for a breath of fresh air. He walked out in the back yard and sat down on the porch. The chilly air felt refreshing. He looked at the sky – it was a clear night and the full moon was shining bright. _

_Soon, he heard soft footsteps approaching and in a moment Elsa sat down next to him. He shifted his attention to her – she seemed exhausted. _

_"Is Anna okay?" he asked._

"_Yeah," Elsa replied. "I had to give her something to help her sleep, though."_

_He wrapped an arm around her, bringing her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed deeply. _

"_Everything is going to be okay, I promise you," he said quietly. "I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?"_

"_Thank you, Jack. For everything," she answered and snuggled closer to him. _

_They sat in silence for a while. Then she spoke. _

"_Can I ask you something?"_

"_Mmm?" he murmured. _

_She straightened up a bit to look at him. "What's your story, Jack?"_

_His heart skipped a beat. He'd known that one day she would ask him about his past. After all, all she had known about him was that he lived with his godparents and that had surely posed some questions. Finally, this day had come._

_He glanced at her – his face emotionless – and stood up, walking a few steps away from the porch._

"_I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked you a something like that. It doesn't matter to me. Forget I said anything," she tried to cover it up, obviously sensing her question had bothered him._

"_No, it's fine," he replied. "It's something I should have told you long ago."_

_He turned away, hoping that not looking at her would make it easier. Even so, he could feel her eyes on his back. _

_He wasn't sure how to begin, but after a short pause he took a deep breath and spoke._

_"I used to have a normal family, like anyone else. My parents loved each other very much and they loved me… and my little sister, Hannah," he began and wondered if Elsa was surprised at the mention of his sister. "We were happy, we had a nice house… we enjoyed spending time together, all four of us. What I loved most was making my sister laugh. I would come up with all sorts of crazy things just to make her smile, but she was the happiest in winter when I would take her ice skating at the frozen lake close to our home. Things were great for my family, but that was about to change," he said. "My dad… would always come home for dinner and he would bring something special for desert. Hannah and I would always greet him at the door." He hesitated. "One evening he didn't come back. The two of us and my mom waited and waited until somebody finally rang the doorbell. Worried, my mom rushed ahead of us to open only to see a police officer standing in front of her. There had been a traffic accident… a serious one and my dad just didn't make it. He passed away, just… just like your parents. I was thirteen at the time."_

_He sighed and took a moment, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat._

"_After that, everything changed. My mom most of all. She wouldn't smile anymore, no matter what my sister and I did. She really missed my dad and she was miserable. I thought things couldn't get any worse, but I've never been so wrong in my life," he laughed bitterly and shook his head. "That winter I had to practice a lot for the ice hockey regional competition my high school was participating in. I barely had time for anything other than school and practice. One Saturday morning, Hannah asked me if I would take her ice skating. I apologized, saying that I had practice that morning, but I promised to take her to the lake in the afternoon. She agreed and said she would wait for me, so that we go together. My mom had gone out to do shopping but she was running late and I really had to go, so I made my sister promise she would stay in her room and play until mom comes home. Then I left," he said and paused, taking a deep, shaky breath as if he was afraid of his memories. "That afternoon, I came back to a police car parked in front of our house. I ran inside, hoping nothing bad had happened. The moment I walked in and my mom saw me, she lunged at me and started hitting me with all her strength, all the while yelling and cursing at me. If it weren't for the two police officers in our living room, who pulled her away from me, she would have probably killed me. I had no idea what was going on until the police officers explained – apparently Hannah couldn't wait to go skating until I came back, so she had gone to the lake alone and the ice just hadn't been thick enough to support her weight. She had drowned."_

_He could feel the burning sensation in his chest, as he tried to suppress his tears. After all this time, it still wasn't easy to talk about it all._

"_After that, my mom stopped talking to me. She ignored me completely – it was as if I didn't exist. She was blaming me for my sister's death and the worst part was that I too was blaming myself. I kept on thinking that none of it would have happened if I had only stayed home that day. To punish myself, I left the hockey team and I never picked up ice skates ever again. It was also around that time, when my hair started turning white from all the stress. I used to have brown hair, you know… This, like everything else, went unnoticed by my mom. She just kept on getting worse. Until one day, a few months later, I came home from school and I found her sleeping on the couch, an empty bottle of sleeping pills lying on the floor. By the time the ambulance came, she was already gone."_

_He heard Elsa gasp in shock but resisted glancing at her._

"_And the rest is history. Bunny's mom and dad, being the closest I had to any relatives, took me in and took care of me as if I was their own son. And then," he said, finally turning around. "Then there was you."_

_He looked into her eyes, expecting to see pity and to hear her say how sorry she felt for his miserable life. He was taken by surprise when instead she just stood up, walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. Grateful for that, he hugged her back and rested his chin on top of her head. Neither of them spoke for a while. They simply enjoyed the feeling of each other. _

"_I'll always be here for you too, Jack," Elsa whispered and he tightened his embrace in appreciation of her words. _

_A few moments later, they let go. They were just about to go back inside, when Elsa broke the silence. "There's just one more thing I would like to ask you."_

_He looked at her in curiosity and nodded._

"_Don't you think that your little sister would have liked you to continue playing hockey? I mean… She could have protested to your going to practice that morning and pestered you to take her to the lake instead, but she didn't. Doesn't that mean she understood how important hockey was to you? Don't you think she would have been happier if you went on doing what you love?"_

* * *

Elsa couldn't have imagined back then how her comment would change both their lives forever. He had thought a lot about what she had said and, in the end, decided that she had been right. The day after he had gone back on campus, he'd signed up for the university's ice hockey team and soon he'd become one of the best players, along with Bunny, who had joined already in their first year.

Three years later, he had been in for a big surprise…

* * *

_The sun was already setting over the rooftops, when he parked his car in the driveway of a very familiar house. He got out and walked to the front door. Running a hand though his messy hair, he rang the doorbell._

"Who is it?" _came a feminine voice from the inside._

"_Pizza delivery!" he called and waited for the girl's reply, a wide smile playing across his lips._

"Pizza delivery? I didn't order pizza… Wait… that voice…"

_His smile grew wider when he heard her footsteps coming closer and she finally opened the door. _

"_Jack!" Elsa gasped._

_Before he could react, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him. At first, he recoiled but then quickly returned her hug, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. _

"_What are you doing here? Don't you have a dissertation to finish?" she asked, as she pulled back. _

"_Nice to see you too," he teased. "I submitted it today and I have two more weeks until my last final, so I have some time to spare. Can I come in? I brought chocolate," he said and waved a paper bag in front of her face. _

_She chuckled and moved out of the doorway to let him in._

"_You know I'm always happy to see you but you should have let me know you were coming. I would have prepared dinner or something," she replied._

_"I wanted to surprise you. Plus, I knew you were alone for the weekend, so I came to check if you're cheating on me," he said jokingly and peeked around the corner of the living room in mock suspicion._

_Elsa laughed. "Did Anna call you and ask you to come and babysit me?" she inquired and headed for the kitchen._

"_Yup, she said she's going on some school trip and asked me to keep an eye on you," Jack confirmed and casually leaned on the doorframe of the kitchen. "Also, I have some news but finish up first." _

_She glanced at him with curiosity, while filling up the kettle to prepare tea._

"_By the way, how's ice sculpturing going?" he asked, referring to the hobby she had adopted shortly after her parents had passed away. _

"_Oh, it's going well. I'm really hooked and I've already learned a lot and established my own carving technique. The only problem is," she said and poured the hot water over the tea bags in the two cups she had prepared, "that it's hard to practice it all year long. I mean, it's perfect during winter but once the weather gets warmer it becomes a bother. By the time I finish carving, parts of the sculpture have already started melting. I barely have enough time to take a photo."_

"I see… _Well, I'll be happy to see some photos of your latest work," he said. _

"_Sure, I'll show you later," Elsa replied, as she stood on her toes, struggling to reach a box of biscuits, located on a higher shelf. _

_He watched her for a moment, thinking how small and cute she was. Then he decided to be a gentleman and help her out. He stood behind her and took the box without any effort. Elsa spun around quite surprised at the unexpected gesture and blushed bright red, when she realized how close he suddenly was. _

"_T-Thank you," she stuttered, when he handed her the box._

_He simply smiled and helped her bring the tea and biscuits to the living room where they sat on the couch. _

"_So," Elsa spoke and looked at him. "What's the news?" _

_He wasn't sure how exactly to present what he had to tell her, so he decided to just say it plainly. _

"_Bunny and I have been recruited to play for _The Guardians_," he stated matter-of-factly._

_Elsa chocked on her tea, spat the liquid out on the table and started coughing. He patted her on the back smiling widely. He had expected an excited reaction from her but this was just too funny. _

"_Are you serious?" she asked after finally catching her breath. He nodded. "Oh my God, Jack! This is amazing! Congratulations!" she squealed and threw arms around his neck. "I'm so proud of you!"_

_He let out a happy laugh and embraced her, burying his face in her hair. _

"_It wouldn't have been possible without you," he mumbled. _

"_What do you mean?" she asked, pulling away to look at him. "I didn't do anything." _

_He shook his head. "I owe it all to you. If you hadn't given me the courage to start playing hockey again I would have never made it this far. And that's not all you've done…" He took her hand in his, his steel blue eyes meeting her sapphire ones. "If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't even be here," he said quietly, the smile gone from his face. _

"_I- I don't understand, Jack…" _

_Shifting his eyes to the floor, he hesitated briefly and wondered how to best formulate what he had to say. In a moment, he inhaled deeply and wet his lips before he looked at her._

"_That day at the playground ten years ago… you saved me. I was so broken on the inside, so lost and alone… I wasn't sure what to do with my life. And then you appeared out of the blue, asking me if I wanted to build a snowman. I looked at you and you were so beautiful, standing there in your little blue jacket and boots. There and then I realized that, no matter what, I have to go on, even if it were for the sole purpose of seeing you every day," he said and looked at Elsa, anticipating her reaction, but she just stared at him with a blank expression. Realizing what exactly he had said to her, he released her hand and looked away. "I must have sounded like a total creep saying something like that. I'm sorry," he added and laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. _

"_Have you really been feeling that way this whole time?" Elsa finally spoke._

_He glanced at her and nodded, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I love you, Elsa… I have for a very long time." _

_What came next shocked him beyond imagination, mostly because he had hoped for it but never dared expect it. Elsa suddenly jumped from her seat, placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. At first__,__ he stiffened, uncertain what to do. Surely, they had held hands and kissed before, but it had never been anything more than a peck on the lips. Neither of them had dared start anything earlier because it hadn't felt quite right. _

_This kiss, however, was different. It was intense and full of passion and demanded his undivided attention, so he just gave in. He placed one hand on Elsa's lower back and with the other he cupped the back of her head, gently bringing her down to sit in his lap. She complied and buried her fingers in his hair. They spent the next few moments kissing lovingly, their lips moving in tender unison. Then he slowly broke away to look at her. _

_He brushed a strand of hair from her face and put it behind her ear. _"_You have no idea how happy I am right now," he murmured and sighed contently, amused by the strong blush on her cheeks. _

"_I do… I too have wanted to do this for a while," she replied softly, slightly embarrassed._

"_What – touch my hair or sit in my lap? 'Cause you could have done either of these at any point, you know," he joked. _

_She swatted his arm in mock frustration and smiled. "You're unbelievable."_

"_I know, but that's why you like me so much," he replied and leaned in to capture her lips again. _

_At first, the kiss was slow and tender. He held Elsa as if she was fragile as a crystal figurine. His fingers ran gingerly up and down the small of her back, as he marveled at the softness of her lips. Then he felt her hands rest at the base of his skull, her fingertips digging slightly into his skin, as she pressed her chest further against his own. The action prompted him to deepen the kiss and he traced her lips with the tip of his tongue, begging for entrance, which she gladly granted. His arms wrapped tightly around her small frame, one hand supporting her waist, the other gently cupping the back of her head. Semi-conscious of his movements, he slowly repositioned himself to lie down on the couch, bringing her with him. He felt her weight rest on top of him and her legs on either side of his hips. _

_He lay there, immersed in the feeling of her touch and her sweet scent, unable to believe this was actually happening. He would have pinched himself to see if it wasn't all just a dream, if he wasn't so busy exploring Elsa's curves. Not once interrupting their kissing session, he slid one hand over the shorts she was wearing and rested it on her perfectly shaped thigh. His other hand sneaked slowly under her tank top, his fingertips caressing the smooth skin of her back. She moaned softly into his mouth and he took it as an encouragement to continue, so he let his hand glide upwards until it reached the hook of her bra. As he did so, it occurred to him he might be taking things a little too fast. His fingers lingered at the lacy fabric and he paused, unsure if Elsa would agree to what he wanted to do. _

_Evidently sensing his intentions, she broke the kiss and for a brief moment he thought she would push him away. To his relief, she didn't. Instead, she smiled at him._

_"Not here, Jack," she whispered. _

_Without another word, she stood up and offered him her hand. He glanced at her, noting her flushed face, and rose to his feet. He took her hand and followed her, as she led him up the stairs. _

_They entered her room and he was taken by surprise, when Elsa whirled around and flung her arms around his neck, bringing him in for another kiss. The shock lasted for only a second, after which he pulled her into a tight hug. The intensity of the kiss started growing much like the tightness in his jeans, as gentleness slowly gave way to passion. _

_His heart was beating almost painfully against his ribcage. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. He hadn't expected her to take things so fast and he hoped she wouldn't regret what they were about to do. However, his excitement was building up and he couldn't help giving in. _

_Loosening his hold on Elsa, he let his hands travel down her body, following her every curve. He stopped, when he reached her bum, and placed his hands on either side of it before he grabbed her and lifted her up with no effort whatsoever. She yelped in surprise and instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He then carried her to her bed and carefully laid her down. Climbing on the bed, he lowered himself slowly and supported his weight onto his forearms. Now on top of her, he pecked her lips one more time before proceeding to plant light kisses along her jawline and down her neck, nipping and licking her skin, earning soft moans from her. _

_When he reached her breasts, he paused and took a moment to observe the rise and fall of her chest. Then he shifted his weight on only one of his arms and moved his free hand downwards. His fingers curled around the hem of her top and he slowly pushed it up, revealing the velvety skin underneath. He glanced up to find her watching at him with interest. Taking that as a sign to proceed, he guided the piece of clothing off, leaving her only in her bra. He discarded her top to the side and straightened up to his knees. Grabbing his own t-shirt, he pulled it over his head and threw it in a random direction. His eyes settled on Elsa and he noticed how she looked up and down his torso. She bit her lower lip and he grinned at the appreciation his physique received. Deciding he'd been away from her for too long, he resumed his previous position atop of her and kissed her again. She reached up and rested one small hand on his cheek, gently caressing his skin with her thumb, while her other hand cupped his head, tugging at his hair – an action that sent shivers down his spine. Her slender legs enclosed his waist and pushed him further onto her. _

_Her body language was enough of a cue for him to know permissions had been granted, so he slid a hand underneath her to unhook her bra. Once he did that, removing the garment was easy. With Elsa's cooperation, he guided it off and quickly returned his attention to her. It made an impression on him that Elsa was suddenly self-conscious, her eyes averted to the side, while she covered her chest. After a moment of confusion, it hit him – he would be seeing Elsa naked for the very first time and she was quite aware of that._

_He chuckled softly. "Don't be embarrassed," he murmured and nuzzled her neck. "You're beautiful."_

_She looked at him nervously and he gave her a reassuring smile before he pulled her arms out of the way to reveal her perky breasts. Much like the rest of her, they were stunning – of perfect size and shape. Wasting no time, he lowered his head and captured one of her nipples between his lips. The contact made Elsa gasp, which suggested the sensation was entirely new to her. With a strange sense of pride, he covered her other breast with his hand and massaged it, while his tongue twirled around and flicked her nipple. Elsa moaned and arched back in pleasure, burying her delicate fingers into his hair, which did nothing less than to arouse him further. He peeked at her – her eyes were shut, her lips were slightly parted, her face blushing, her hair – a total mess. She was simply gorgeous. _

_After he'd paid equal attention to both her breasts, he parted with them almost unwillingly and slowly moved upwards, until his face was at the same level as hers. He kissed her lips, gaining entry to the warmth of her mouth. Contrary to his expectations, Elsa didn't hug him this time. Instead, she trailed her hands down his body and reached to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans. He took the hint and quickly kicked them off. Then he pulled back and again made his way down, leaving a trail of wet kisses along her chest and abdomen. He caught the waistband of her shorts and took them off, removing her undies in the process. Tossing them to the side, he straightened up and briefly admired the beautiful sight in front of him, before he swiftly discarded his own underwear and reassumed his earlier position on top of Elsa._

_They kissed once more and he slowly slipped a hand between her legs to check if she was ready for him. The wetness that met his skin told him all he needed to know. He nestled himself between her legs and broke the kiss, seeking confirmation in Elsa's eyes. She was quick to respond – resting a hand on his cheek, she stroked his skin with her thumb, then smiled and gave him a small nod. That was all he needed. With no further delay, he carefully made his way in, his eyes following every expression she made, looking for any sign of discomfort. He had been with other girls before, purely out of physical necessity, but he knew he was Elsa's first, so he wanted to be as gentle as possible. _

_He immediately stopped all movement, when she winced in pain. _

"_I'm sorry," he whispered and kissed her. He gave her a moment to adjust to his size and the feeling of him. Once he felt her relax and wrap her legs around his waist, he resumed his motions. _

_It was slow at first, because he didn't want to hurt her any further, but soon passion took over him and he started thrusting a little harder and faster. Elsa was moaning softly, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She dug her fingers into the skin of his back and used her feet to push him further into her with every following thrust, her hips meeting his half way. If his mind wasn't clouded by pleasure and desire, he would have mused how perfectly their bodies fit together. _

_Supporting himself on his hands, he raised his upper body and felt her arms slide from around him. Her own hands came to rest on his chest, as she craned her neck in an attempt to kiss him. He succumbed to her request and lowered his face, his lips coming in contact with hers. _

_Breaking the kiss, he paused and looked at her. She regarded him with confusion. Before she could protest, he pulled out of her and maneuvered her, so that she was on her side, and lied down behind her. Gently, he entered her again and slid one arm under her head, wrapping it around her shoulders and bringing her close to him. She gripped his arm tightly and pressed her back against his chest, slightly turning her head to the side. She gasped when he caught her earlobe between his lips and started sucking and nipping at it. As he recommenced thrusting, his free hand slowly made its way down her stomach and reached between her legs. Locating that sweet spot he knew would drive her over the edge, he massaged it tenderly and to his expectations, Elsa arched her back and let a loud moan. Knowing he was on the right track, he proceeded with his ministrations. Barely a minute later, she dug her nails into the skin of his arm and froze, letting out a small gasp. Feeling her pulsate around him, he stopped moving, letting her ride the waves of pleasure that surged through her. Once her body relaxed a little, he leaned over and planted several kisses on her neck and shoulder, before he slowly resumed his thrusts until his own pleasure built up and he reached his sweet release. He embraced her with both his arms and held her tightly, burying his face into her hair to muffle his moan._

_Reluctant to end the moment, he held onto her for a while longer, simply enjoying her warmth and breathing in her scent. Unfortunately, all things come to an end and, eventually, he pulled out of her and rolled on his back. He brought her closer, letting her lay her head on his chest, as he wrapped her in a hug. With his free hand, he pulled the covers on top of them both and relaxed, staring at the ceiling and tracing small circles on her smooth shoulder._

_They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, until Elsa broke the silence. _

_"Jack," she said softly._

"_Yeah?" he muttered and looked down at her to meet her eyes. _

"_I love you, too."_

* * *

Jack smiled. The day Elsa had become mentally, emotionally and physically his had been the happiest day of his life. This was a memory he cherished with all his heart.

After the first night they had spent together, the relationship had developed on its own and he had started planning their future together. He'd bought the apartment they were currently living in and designed a special studio for Elsa to carve her ice sculptures in all year round. When Anna had graduated from high school, Elsa had agreed to move in with him, albeit reluctantly at first. After that everything had fallen into place and their relationship had been working out perfectly.

Realizing it was quite late, Jack snapped out of his thoughts. He took one last look at the ring before closing the box and putting it back in the pocket of his jacket. He went in the bathroom to brush his teeth and then headed to the bedroom, where Elsa was sleeping soundly. He undressed quietly, put on a pair of PJ pants and sneaked under the covers. He snuggled closer to Elsa and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, before relaxing on his back.

He sighed. He was ready to take it to the next level. He just hoped Elsa was on the same page.

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaand there you have it! I hope it wasn't too cheesy at times :D **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my wonderful readers! *hugs*  
**

**Thanks so much to those who reviewed, favorited and followed this story! You're the awesomest shade of awesome! :3**

**Here's Chapter 6!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 6

Friday had passed very quickly, especially since Jack had forgotten to set an alarm for Elsa and they both overslept, her missing two of her classes and him being very late for practice.

It had been a very interesting morning with them both rushing around the apartment – Jack cursing under his breath, while trying to get dressed and brush his teeth simultaneously, and Elsa miserably failing to put her tangled hair in a presentable bun, while struggling to locate the notes and textbooks she needed for the day. Ten minutes after they had woken up, they ran out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind them and rushing into the elevator. Once in, both turned to look at themselves in the mirror. Elsa scavenged an eyeliner from her bag and quickly applied some on her eyelids, while Jack tried fixing his unruly hair… unsuccessfully. They shared a soft kiss before getting off at the level of the underground garage, got in Jack's car and left. This time Elsa had agreed to him driving her to the university, since she was on her way of being late for her third morning class as well. Ten minutes later he pulled up in front of the gates, tires screeching. They agreed he would pick her up, when he was done and, after sharing another quick kiss, Jack drove off and Elsa ran towards the classroom.

Neither of them felt when time had passed. Jack had to practice for the most part of the day, since the hockey season was in full swing and _The Guardians_ had a very important game coming up right after New Year's. After practice, he and Bunny went to the ice hockey and skating school, they had founded two years back. Elsa, on her part, met up with Anna for lunch and, after her last class had ended, went to the library. At 6:30 pm, as promised, Jack picked her up.

When they arrived home, they curled up on the couch and ate the pizza Jack had bought, while watching a movie. To Elsa's expectations, Jack got bored halfway through the movie and started nuzzling her neck and kissing her softly. Not able to resist his touch, Elsa succumbed to his silent request and they resumed their Friday evening in the bedroom.

* * *

On Saturday morning Elsa woke up to the smell of pancakes. She opened her eyes to see the other side of the bed was empty and then turned around to look at the time. Luckily she hadn't overslept for the meeting with Anna. Elsa stretched, yawned widely and got out of bed. Realizing she was once again wearing only her panties, she grabbed the nearest piece of clothing, which turned out to be one of Jack's shirts, and put it on. She buttoned it up, folded the sleeves a bit and walked out of the bedroom.

Jack was standing next to the stove in his PJ pants and a t-shirt, humming and moving in sync with his melody and poking on the pancake in the frying pan. Elsa smiled. She loved spending Saturday and Sunday mornings with Jack. He would usually cook breakfast and they would sit and talk on various subjects, enjoying each other's company.

Elsa went up to him and snaked her arms around his waist, resting her head against his broad back. "Good morning," she said, taking in his scent and sighing contently.

Jack smiled at the contact. "Good morning, my snow queen," he replied and turned around to hug her. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded into his chest and stood on the tip of her toes to give him a small kiss on the lips before she pulled away and went to the coffee machine to pour herself a cup. It was only then, when Jack realized what exactly she was wearing and groaned with desire. Sensing his eyes on her, Elsa quickly turned around but, before she could do anything, Jack had grabbed her, lifting her in the air. He nuzzled her neck and Elsa shrieked and giggled at the ticklish feeling of his breath against her skin.

"Too ticklish!" she said in a shrill voice trying to push him away.

"Okay, okay!"Jack smiled, deciding he should have mercy on her, and let her go with another kiss. He then took the plate with pancakes and placed it on the counter together with a jar of jam and a cup of tea for himself. He prompted himself on a stool and gestured to the other one, inviting Elsa to join him. She sat down across him and they both took a pancake onto their plates.

"So, what are your plans for today?" he asked after devouring his first pancake.

"I'm meeting Anna in an hour and a half. She wants to go shopping for dresses for the Christmas charity ball. Apparently, Kristoff finally gathered enough courage to ask her out," Elsa replied, taking a sip from her coffee.

"Yeah, Bunny told me when we met the other night. It was about time," Jack smirked.

"I really hope it's going to work out between them. Kristoff is a very nice guy and Anna needs someone like him to take care of her, especially after that jerk Hans," she said and frowned slightly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything will fall in place in due time."

"I think so, too, "she smiled. "What about you?"

"I'm meeting Bunny after lunch and then we're going to the school. We're teaching the kids how to develop a game plan. That's gonna be so much fun," Jack said excitedly with a twinkle in his eyes. "I should be done by six and I was thinking we could go somewhere for dinner. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan," she replied and finished her pancake.

She waited until Jack was done with his breakfast as well and then went in the shower. After both of them got dressed, they went out. He offered to drive her to the mall and she agreed, since the weather wasn't very inviting for a bike ride.

"I'll pick you up at six," Jack said and leaned to kiss her.

Elsa nodded and got out of the car. "See you later," she said, before closing the door, and waved at him, when he drove off.

She turned around and walked towards the entrance of the mall. Anna still wasn't there and Elsa looked at her watch realizing she was a bit early. She waited for a few minutes and her little sister appeared on the horizon, waving at her.

"Good morning!" Anna exclaimed and hugged Elsa. "You look better than yesterday at lunch."

"Yes, I finally managed to get some more sleep. But I'm still very tired. I think I need a vacation," Elsa replied with a sigh. "Shall we go in?"

Anna nodded eagerly and they entered the large flashy building.

As Elsa had expected, her little sister wanted to check out every possible store for formal attire and shoes there was in the whole mall, all fifteen of them. Half way through their shopping spree, they decided to have a quick bite. They sat down at a café and ordered salad and freshly squeezed juice.

"So, how are things going with Kristoff so far?" Elsa asked, while they enjoyed their meal.

Anna blushed slightly and looked down at her food, as she spoke. "Well, nothing has happened besides the fact that he invited me to the ball. He's very shy, it's driving me nuts sometimes" she said, disappointment evident in her voice.

Elsa chuckled. "Don't worry, he's just taking things at his own pace. I think inviting you was a very big step for him. I'm sure he'll relax if you give him some time. It's obvious he's interested in you."

"You think?" Anna asked looking up, her eyes sparkling with hope. Elsa nodded smiling. "How about you? How are things going with Jack? I mean, emotionally. It's obvious everything runs smoothly in the bedroom department," Anna said and winked at her sister.

Elsa laughed and shook her head. "It's going fine."

"Fine? You've been with him for almost five years and all you can say about your relationship is that it's going fine?" Anna said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay… It's perfect. I really can't complain. He's loving and caring and he would do anything for me. His demands… in the bedroom department," Elsa replied, using her sister's words, "are a bit overwhelming at times, but I can't say I dislike it."

Anna giggled. "That's what I wanted to hear! So… have you guys talked about marriage?"

Elsa chocked on her salad. "Marriage?" she said between coughs and patted herself on the chest.

"Five years is a long time, Elsa. Not to mention you've known each other for a lot longer than that." Anna replied, her tone a bit more serious this time.

Elsa sighed. "We haven't really discussed that. I mean… I still haven't graduated and after that I would like to take some time to develop myself professionally and achieve my goals and dreams."

"Well, getting married doesn't really stand in your way, you know. You would still be able to do all that," Anna said.

Elsa just stared at her plate.

"What if Jack proposes?" her little sister asked again. "What will you say?"

"I don't know… I'll just go with the flow, I guess. That's not something I can decide right now, Anna," Elsa replied slightly irritated.

Seeing this, Anna decided to end the conversation. They finished their lunch and paid. Just when they were about to leave the café, Anna's phone rang. She blushed and smiled widely, when she saw the caller ID.

"Kristoff, hi!" she exclaimed, answering her phone. "Yes... That sounds great!... At 07:00 pm?... Yeah, I'll tell her…. Okay, perfect, I'll see you then!" She hung up and sighed contently still looking at her phone.

Having heard only Anna's side of the conversation, Elsa looked at her sister inquisitively, raising an eyebrow.

Sensing the question in her eyes, Anna spoke. "Kristoff invited us for dinner tonight. He said he'd already spoken with Bunny and Jack and we're meeting up at 07:00 pm, at that famous fish restaurant in the center. He said he wanted to discuss something with all of us."

Elsa nodded slowly and looked at her watch. "We better get going then, because it's 02:00 pm and we still haven't bought anything from the things we actually need," she said, eyeing her sister's shopping bags, which were full of things Anna hadn't actually planned on buying.

Anna nodded and they left.

Two hours later, the two sisters exited the last shop they, more precisely Anna, had on their agenda. Elsa sighed tiredly and sat down on a bench in the lobby of the mall. Anna on the other hand was squealing excitedly.

"I'm so happy! We got the perfect dresses!" She said and sat down next to Elsa.

Anna had bought a little sleeveless cocktail dress. The upper part was black and it wrapped tightly around her torso. It ended at the waist, where it was followed by the wider, balloon-shaped part, colored in dark and light Reseda green stripes. The dress reached right above her knees and was accompanied by a black petticoat and a black, lacy bolero. Anna had found a pair of simple black high heels, which complemented the dress very nicely. Elsa, on the other hand, had chosen something more mature but very daring. She just couldn't wait to see Jack's expression, when he saw her wearing it.

"It's almost 04:30 pm. What should we do now? I'll have to go back to my apartment to leave these," Anna spoke, pointing at her shopping bags.

Elsa looked at her watch again. Jack was still training the kids. Maybe she could drop by and surprise him.

"I think we should go. I'll pass by the school and go home with Jack. You should also go home and get ready for tonight. After all, you have somebody to impress," Elsa said and nudged her little sister lightly.

Anna blushed. "Okay, then I'll be going," she said and stood up grabbing her bags. "I'll see you later on!"

She gave Elsa a quick kiss on the cheek and turned around to leave. Elsa watched her go and after a few minutes stood up. She stretched a bit and her eyes landed on a confectionary store. She smiled, took her bags and headed that way. Ten minutes later she got out, carrying two large boxes of cupcakes, and exited the mall. Once out in the fresh, chilly air, she went to the edge of a sidewalk and lifted an arm to signal to a passing-by taxi. The car stopped and Elsa got in. She left in the direction of Jack and Bunny's ice skating school, completely unaware that a pair of eyes had been following her every move, since she had gone out of Jack's car in the morning.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Elsa reached her destination. She paid the driver, gathered all of her belongings and got off. She opened the door of the building that hosted Jack's ice skating school, and walked down the corridor. A few meters ahead there was another door. Elsa heard excited children's voices and smiled. She gently pushed the door open and entered a large hall that held a wide ice skating rink and a few rows of seats.

Elsa looked at the rink. On one side, there was a group of about 15 boys between 8 and 11 years old, dressed in hockey uniforms. They were obviously divided into two teams and they were screaming loudly in excitement and pushing around a puck, each team trying to score. They were really enjoying themselves. Her attention then turned to the other side of the rink and she couldn't help but smile at the heart-warming sight in front of her.

There on the ice was Jack Frost, slightly hunched over, holding the hands of a little girl and gently skating backwards, pulling her with him. She couldn't have been more than two-three years old and she had blond hair and a petite form. She was smiling widely in pure joy and delight. But what intrigued Elsa the most was Jack's expression. He was looking lovingly at the little girl, a reassuring smile across his lips. He was saying something to her. Elsa couldn't hear but, judging from the girl's face, those were words or praise.

Elsa looked at the pair for a while longer, until she heard her name.

"Elsa!" one of the boys had yelled attracting everybody's attention to her. Jack straightened up and turned around to look at her. He smiled.

"Who wants cupcakes?" She said out loud, raising the two boxes.

"Cupcakes!" all of the boys yelled in one voice and quickly headed to the exit of the rink, soon attacking the pastries. Elsa managed to take a single cupcake out, before they eagerly munched in. She chuckled softly and turned to walk towards the rink.

"Hi," she greeted Jack, who was now holding the little girl in his arms, carrying her to the exit of the rink.

"Hi! I gather Anna didn't terrorize you much, since you're done so early. What's in the bags?" Jack said smiling, pointing his chin in the direction of her purchases.

"You'll find out in due time," she replied teasingly, and turned her attention to the little girl in his arms. "And who might you be?" she asked with a warm smile. The little girl didn't reply. She just held tightly onto Jack and stared at Elsa in awe.

Jack smiled even wider. "This is Sophie. She's Jamie's baby sister. Their mom dropped them off today for Jamie's practice and asked me to look after her, because she had some seminar to attend, and I decided to teach Sophie how to skate. So far she's doing a great job!"

"Pretty!" Sophie finally said, still staring at Elsa.

"Aww, you're pretty too, Sophie!" Elsa replied at the sweet comment. "Would you like a cupcake?" she said and handed the pastry to the little girl, who accepted it with delight.

Jack set her down, removed her skates and put on her shoes, while the girl was munching happily on the cupcake in her hand. They looked at the girl for a few more moments, smiles playing on both their faces, before Jack broke the silence.

"Care to join me?" he said extending his arm to Elsa, as if he were inviting her to dance.

She nodded and, after changing into a pair of skates, entered the rink. She made a few trips around the circumference of the ice, as if to refresh her skills, before finally skating to Jack, who took her by the hand. They started skating together, dancing, combining different moves and moving in complete unison. He threw her in the air a couple of times and she managed to do a pirouette, before landing on the ice. She had taken figure skating classes, when she'd been in high school, but then discontinued after she'd started university. Jack, however, had never learned how to figure skate and yet he could do it with ease. Elsa had always been amazed at how winter sports came naturally to him. She could feel all eyes were set on them, as the kids gasped and wowed. They danced like that for a while, before Jack pulled her to him, ending their performance.

He placed a small kiss on her lips and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You're gorgeous!"

She blushed light pink and smiled up at him, seeing the love in his blue eyes.

Suddenly they heard clapping and turned to look at the rows of seats. Parents had joined the audience of kids and Jack and Elsa realized how absorbed they had been by their dance not to notice that. They smiled and bowed and skated to the exit of the rink. Half an hour later, all the kids had left and the pair locked the school and headed home.

"Where's Bunny, by the way? I thought you were teaching the kids game strategy today," Elsa asked, as Jack was driving.

"He had to meet up with Tooth, so he left a bit before you came. We'll be meeting them tonight at the restaurant."

Tia Wang, or Tooth as everyone called her, was Bunny's girlfriend. She was a dentist, hence obsessed with Jack's perfect teeth. To Elsa's opinion she was rather extravagant, because she always dressed in bright colored clothes that often had feathers on them, but she was generally a nice person, so Elsa got along with her pretty well.

Elsa smiled and they continued their journey in silence. When they arrived home, Jack took a quick shower and Elsa decided to change into something more presentable than the skinny jeans and the blouse she was wearing. She chose a cute dark-blue dress with short bouffant sleeves. It embraced her bust tightly and it widened right under her breasts, reaching down to the middle of her thighs, making her look like a doll. She complemented the dress with black stockings and a black long-sleeved bolero. She put her hair in a neat bun. Once Jack was out of the shower, she refreshed her makeup and was almost ready to go.

Elsa was just putting on a discreet pair of earrings, when she heard a whistle. She turned around to see a very sexy Jack, wearing a pair of nicely fitted jeans, a slim-fit light-blue shirt, the first two buttons of which were unbuttoned, and a beige jacket, his hair – in its usual ruffled state.

"Looking good!" he said with a smile, as he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Not half bad yourself," she replied with a wink, earning a deep, throaty chuckle from him.

They took their coats, put their shoes on and left to meet their friends.

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant, Anna and Kristoff were already at the table, discussing something. Jack and Elsa sat down and the group was soon joined by Bunny and Tia. They enjoyed dinner, talking on various topics. Jack and Bunny were telling embarrassing stories about each other, while the rest were bending in two from laughter. They were having a nice evening. At dessert, Kristoff spoke, finally revealing what he had to tell them. He suggested they all go to his villa in the mountains for the period of the winter holidays. Everyone agreed that it was a great idea, especially Elsa, who would finally get the vacation she craved, and Anna, who was overjoyed about spending Christmas in the mountains.

Soon after, they were done with dinner and decided to head home.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The story is just starting to develop :3**

**Pleeeeeeeeeease take a moment to review! Your comments help my inspiration flow!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone! :)**

**Thanks so much to all those who reviewed, favorited and followed my story!**

**I hope you have fun reading Chapter 7 :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE  
**

CHAPTER 7

Luckily for Elsa, the following had week passed quicker than she had expected. She had to admit she had actually been looking forward to the Christmas ball, as it had been a while since she'd attended such an event, but she wasn't nearly as excited as Anna, who had been literally counting the hours until that Friday night.

After her classes ended, Elsa went to the entrance of the university's campus and waited for Jack to pick her up. Then they went home and started getting ready for the evening. Jack let her shower first after he had suggested that they save up on time and water by showering together but, unfortunately for him, Elsa turned down his offer, saying that, knowing what he was planning, they would save up on neither.

When Jack walked out of the shower, Elsa was still in her bathrobe drying her hair in front of the mirror of her makeup desk. He leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the cheek before quickly drying his own hair with a towel and trying to make it look presentable. After that he walked to the wardrobe and took out the tuxedo he had already prepared. He gently laid it on the bed and proceeded to take out a pair of underwear and socks. With one swift movement he caused the towel that had been previously wrapped around hips to fall to the ground. He heard Elsa let out a small gasp and turned his head to look at her. He saw how her eyes traveled from his ankles, past his legs and bum, and up his back, finally meeting his. When he caught her gaze, Elsa immediately looked away, blushing like a school girl, and started brushing her hair a little too quickly. Jack smirked but didn't say anything. He put his underwear on and started getting dressed. Five minutes later he was standing in front of the mirror fixing his tie. Satisfied with his work on the knot, he put his jacket on and turned to Elsa.

"So? How do I look?" he asked her stretching out his arms to the sides a little.

Elsa turned her attention to him and looked up and down. He was wearing a three-piece black tuxedo. His jacket was unbuttoned, showing the formal white shirt and the black vest underneath, accompanied by a silver tie. His outfit was complete with a pair of elegant, polished, formal black shoes.

She stood up and walked to him. "Perfect," she replied, after adjusting the collar of his shirt a little, and tip-toed to give him a kiss.

He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, deepening the kiss, then he pulled away and smiled down at her. "I'll let you get ready as well. I'll be in the living room."

He let her go and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Elsa sat back down in front of her mirror and started doing her makeup.

Forty minutes later Jack was still sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting for Elsa. He looked up from the game he was playing on his phone and glanced at his watch. "Elsa, are you ready? We're gonna be late," he called and turned his attention back to the game.

"_Be right there,_" she replied and a couple of minutes later the bedroom door opened and Elsa walked out.

She stood a few steps away from Jack, her torso turned slightly to the side, her hands on her hips, one leg positioned in front of the other. "I'm ready," she said, rather suggestively.

Jack, who was caught up in the game, looked up a bit absentmindedly then he looked back at his phone, before his eyes shot up again. He looked at her, his eyes traveling up and down her body. Her hair was braided in its usual loose plait, hanging over her shoulder, however this time done with care and decorated with small snowflake-shaped hairpins. She had very discreet smoky makeup on, her lips in their usual rosy color. On her ears Jack noticed elegant, silver stud earrings. He moved his eyes from her face down her body. She was wearing a turquoise-blue strapless dress that hugged her torso tightly, underlining every curve, starting just above her breasts and continuing down to her hips, where the cut of the dress widened. The satin fabric at the upper part of the dress was decorated with what Jack classified as tiny Swarovski crystals that reflected the light in a very delicate fashion. Around her upper arms, Elsa had a wide dark-blue fur scarf that hung loosely at her elbows. Jack's gaze slid down, following the folds of the dress. He blinked and gulped lightly, when his eyes reached the slit that started from above the middle of Elsa's thigh, revealing a perfectly shaped leg, clothed in the thin, barely visible fabric of her skin-colored stockings. The dress reached the ground, where it came in contact with Elsa's dark-blue pumps, which matched the color of the scarf. She looked glamorous!

When he was done inspecting her outfit, Jack looked up at her again, and then stood up. "Great, let's go," he said, putting the phone in his pocket and turning to walk out the living room.

Elsa stood there dumbfounded. '_Great?_' That was all he had to say about the way she looked? Was the mirror smudged? Had she not seen herself properly in it? The Jack she knew would be trying to remove the dress by now, forgetting everything about the event they had to attend. She blinked a couple of times before she regained her composure and cleared her throat. At that Jack turned around.

"Would you mind?" she said, lifting one of her arms slightly, revealing a delicate necklace in her hand.

Noting what she meant, he moved towards her and gently took the piece of jewelry out of her hand. It consisted of a very thin and fragile looking silver chainlet, on which a snowflake-shaped pendant hung. It matched her earrings. Elsa turned her back to Jack and he carefully placed the necklace around her neck. Elsa shivered slightly at the feeling of his breath against her bare skin. When Jack was done securing the clasp of the necklace, he rested his hands on her upper arms and bent down to put a soft kiss on the side of her neck. He lingered there a little longer, taking in her wonderful scent. Elsa leaned in his touch, turning her head a slightly to the side, wanting him to kiss her lips as well. But he didn't.

Jack breathed out, causing strands of her hair to tremble. "Shall we?" he said in a low voice, as he released her and turned to walk towards the door.

Elsa frowned. For once she'd wanted to be the one teasing and it hadn't worked. However, she didn't say anything and simply followed him.

They went out of the building, where a black Mercedes S-class was waiting for them. The driver opened the door for them and they sat in the back seat. The journey lasted for about half an hour, which they spent in silence, each looking out their own window in the back of the car. At a certain point Jack had turned to look at Elsa, taking her hand in his, and after a brief moment he looked back out the window. He kept on caressing the upper side of her hand with his thumb. Elsa didn't look at him or say anything; she just smiled a little at the nice feeling.

Soon the driver pulled up in front of a beautiful Baroque-style building that Elsa recognized as the Grand Hotel Marnier – one of the oldest, most impressive and most expensive hotels in the whole country. Originally the building had been a palace. The doorman of the hotel opened the car for them and Jack got out first after which he offered his hand to Elsa and helped her out of the car. They walked up the stairs, Elsa holding onto Jack's arm, and entered the hotel's lobby through the rotating door. They could hear classical music and chatter coming from the big reception hall of the hotel. A guest service representative met them at the other side of the entrance, smiled widely at them and bid them welcome. Jack smiled back, took out two invitations from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed them to her. She looked at the names and up at both of them again.

"Welcome, Mr. Frost, Ms. Andersen! Right this way," she said and led them in the direction of the reception hall. When they reached the entrance, she nodded to them and left.

They entered the hall full of people and Elsa let out a small gasp.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Jack whispered, leaning a bit towards her and smiling. Elsa nodded and looked around taking in every detail in the room.

She guessed that before the building was turned into a hotel this used to be a ballroom. It was a large, bright and spacious room with polished wooden floors and big French windows, facing the inner courtyard. The walls and ceiling were decorated with elaborate details and mesmerizingly beautiful images. There was a crystal chandelier hanging right above the middle of the room. Elsa directed her attention to the people. The reception hall was already full. She could recognize some faces in the crowd – there was the Prime Minister with his wife, the CEO of the company funding scholarships at Arendelle University, a couple of famous actors and TV personas.

A waiter passed by them and offered them champagne. They both took a glass of the sparkly liquid and made a few steps further towards the center of the room. Elsa looked around, trying to spot Anna and Kristoff.

"So, you finally made it," came a familiar voice from behind and they turned around to see Bunny and Tia. Bunny was dressed in a nicely fitting tuxedo and Tia was, as usual, very flamboyant, wearing a brightly colored long dress, decorated with feathers.

Jack smiled broadly at the sight of them. "Yeah, Miss Fancy Pants here took her time," he replied, looking lovingly at Elsa, and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, when she pouted.

"Don't listen to him, Elsa. Men will never understand us. You look absolutely stunning!" Tia spoke and moved to give Elsa a gentle hug.

Elsa returned the hug. "Thank you, Tia! So do you! How have you been?"

"Oh, same old. Spending most of my time at the dental clinic and with this guy," Tia said and nudged Bunny slightly, smiling up at him.

"And can you ask for anything more?" Bunny replied with a wink.

They laughed and talked for a while longer, before Bunny said he had to go and greet somebody he knew, and moved with Tia by his side.

Jack noted that he should probably do the same, as he knew many of the people present, so he offered Elsa his arm and they walked around the reception hall, greeting and talking to various individuals. After a while, Elsa finally saw Anna, who was standing next to the buffet, carefully selecting different pieces of food and placing them on the plate in her hand. Elsa excused herself from the conversation Jack was currently involved in and walked in the direction of her little sister.

"Anna," she spoke, when she stood a step away from the girl.

Her sister turned around. "Elsa, hi!" she replied, smiling. "Isn't this place amazing! And the food is just so delicious!" Anna said excitedly, as she put a piece of finger food in her mouth.

Elsa chuckled. Anna suddenly gasped, finally taking in the full image of her sister.

"Oh Elsa, you look gorgeous! The dress truly fits you well, I'm so happy you got it! What did Jack say when he saw you? I bet his jaw dropped!"

"Actually, he didn't comment on it at all," Elsa relied, disappointment evident in her voice.

"Well, that's strange…" Anna said, raising an eyebrow. Elsa just sighed and looked at the glass of champagne in her hand. "Oh don't worry, Elsa. You know him. He's probably playing a trick on you."

"Might be… Where's Kristoff, by the way?"

"He went to the restroom, he should be back soon," Anna replied, just as Kristoff came into view. "Speaking of the Devil…"

"Hello Elsa! You look wonderful!" the young man said, when he finally reached them.

"Thank you! Likewise," she answered, looking at how handsome he looked indeed. She had never seen him wear formal attire before, it looked good on him.

Kristoff blushed lightly and turned to Anna. "I would like to introduce you to somebody. Will you join me?"

Anna looked at Elsa, who smiled softly, knowing what her little sister was silently asking her.

"Go, have fun. I'll be fine,"she said.

Anna smiled back, left the plate food she was holding and took Kristoff's arm.

Elsa watched them walk away and chuckled. She was happy her sister was finally in good hands. After a moment, she glanced back at the champagne in her glass. It was making her dizzy, so she left it on the table behind her and turned around to look at all the people once more.

"Fantastic party, isn't it, Ms. Andersen?" she suddenly heard a smooth voice with a subtle British accent coming from behind her, which almost caused her to jump out of her shoes.

She turned around to look at the owner of the voice. He was a tall man, in his 40s, dressed in black from head to toe. He reminded her of a funeral agent. His features were sharp and his hair was slicked back. He had grayish complexion that made him look like a heavy smoker. He smelled like one too. But what bothered Elsa the most were his yellow eyes. They looked almost menacing.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," she said, not breaking eye contact.

"Oh, but of course, where are my manners… Black, Edward Black," the man replied, took her hand in his and bent down to kiss it, then looked up at her again and smiled. His teeth were unusually sharp. Elsa tried hard to hide her disgust. His name was familiar but she just couldn't put her finger on it. The man looked up once again and his eyes slid to the side and fixated on something behind her. "Such a shame, don't you think?"

She followed his eyes and saw Jack, who was currently entertaining a group of dignitaries, who were laughing wholeheartedly at his jokes. Elsa's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" she asked, noting the man was referring to Jack.

"Well, it's a shame that such a gifted hockey player, like Mr. Jack Frost, is stuck playing for a mediocre team like _The Guardians_, when there are other places, where he would be much more appreciated."

Elsa felt very irritated at the man's comment. How dare he offend one of the best hockey teams, not to mention the one her boyfriend and his friends were part of! But before she could spit out her sharp reply, another male voice joined the conversation.

"Edward 'Pitch' Black. I didn't expect to see you here of all places. I've never imagined you were one for charity," came the distinct Russian accent from behind her and was followed by a big warm hand that rested on Elsa's back. She exhaled, relief taking over her.

She looked up at the gentleman standing by her side. He was tall and generally a big man, with long grey beard and mustache and slightly balding. He briefly looked down at her – his blue eyes under the bushy dark eyebrows were warm and protective. Nikolai North – coach of _The Guardians. _Elsa liked him a lot, because he was one of the few people that could beat some sense into Jack whenever he was being stubborn.

"North," the repulsive man in front of them said through his gritted teeth. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt other people's conversations?"

"I wouldn't have interrupted, if I hadn't seen the lady wasn't enjoying your company one bit," the coach replied in a calm voice, his expression stoic. "I decided she would feel much better conversing with me."

Elsa could have sworn she heard the man growl with anger. His face contorted into a menacing expression for a brief moment before he turned his attention to her, his expression changing almost immediately into a sly smile.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Andersen," he said. "I hope to see you again soon." He bowed slightly to her and then turned around and hurried towards the exit of the reception hall.

"Such an unpleasant fellow," Coach North said still looking in the direction of the door. "What did he want from you?"

"He mentioned something about Jack wasting his talent on 'a mediocre team like _The Guardians_'," she quoted. "He said that there were other teams, where he would be more valued."

North's eyes narrowed and he frowned a bit. He stayed silent for a few seconds, as if considering something. Then he turned to look down at her, his expression changing in the blink of an eye. "Elsa, you're beautiful as ever!" he said, as if he had just met her and the previous conversation hadn't taken place at all. "How have you been? Has Jack been treating you well? Because if he hasn't, I'll have to have a serious talk with him."

Elsa smiled widely up at him. "Everything is going fine. I can't complain, Coach," she replied. Everybody referred to him as "coach" and so did she. She was happy that he didn't seem to mind it.

Suddenly the music the orchestra was playing changed from generic background music to _The Blue Danube Waltz_ by Johann Strauss. People moved to the sides of the reception hall, freeing the central area, and some couples started dancing to the music.

"Will you do me the honor?" Coach North said, as he offered his hand to Elsa.

She smiled and took it. They danced in silence for a while, enjoying the music. After a couple of minutes Elsa spoke, "Who was this guy anyway? Edward Black…"

"In the hockey world he's known as Pitch Black. He's the owner of _The Nightmares_," North replied.

So, that's why the name sounded so familiar to her. She had heard Jack and Bunny talk about this team a few times.

"_The Nightmares_? Isn't this the team famous for not losing a game… ever?" she asked.

North nodded. "Yes. They're also famous for being quite ruthless. There are rumors that Pitch uses surreptitious methods to ensure that his team always wins. There is usually blackmail, threats and a lot of corruption involved in that. Pretty much everybody knows these are not just rumors but, despite all the investigations, nobody can actually prove his actions. He's very well connected on the higher levels, so he always manages to sneak out," he replied and after a short pause said, "Don't mention your encounter with Pitch to Jack. He might misinterpret it and you know how quick-tempered he can be sometimes."

Elsa frowned a little, but nodded in agreement. They danced until the music stopped and then pulled away.

"Thank you for the dance, Elsa. It was a pleasure," North said as he brought her hand to his lips.

"The pleasure was all mine, Coach," she replied.

Suddenly Jack, who was now standing behind them, cleared his throat. They both turned around rather surprised.

"You'll have to fight me for her, Coach," he said.

North laughed. "Boy, you don't stand a chance against my charms," he replied and winked at Elsa, who chuckled.

"I'll ask nicely then. Can I have my lady back?"

"Of course, of course. She's all yours," the older man said and left them at the dance floor.

The music started playing again and Jack took Elsa's hand, drawing her near. They danced for a while, simply looking at each other, smiling. Then Jack leaned in to whisper in her ear, "There's something I've been wanting to tell you all evening."

Elsa pulled back and looked at him inquisitively.

"I can't wait to go home and remove that dress," he whispered again with a suggestive grin of his face. He watched in amusement as Elsa's eyes widened and bright-red blush crept on her cheeks.

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**A/N: So, what you do you think will happen from here on? :D**

**I changed North's name from 'Nicholas' to 'Nikolai' because I wanted it to sound more Slavic.**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Reading your reviews is the best part of this story for me :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers! :)**

**Thanks so much to all those who reviewed, favorited and followed my story!**

**Here's Chapter 8 and, as promised, it's full of fluff... among other things *chuckle* :3**

**Special thanks to the wonderful WickedgreenPhantom who gave me an idea on how to start the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 8

It was past 11:30pm, when Jack and Elsa left the Grand Hotel Marnier, where the ball was taking place. They bid goodbye to their friends and some of the other guests they had interacted with and exited the building of the hotel.

Elsa shivered slightly, when the cold winter air came in contact with her skin, and she wrapped the fur scarf tightly around her bare shoulders. Seeing this, Jack put his arm around her and brought her close, placing a soft kiss on her temple. She looked up at him and smiled.

They waited for a couple of minutes before the black Mercedes pulled up in front of them. The driver got out of the car and opened the door for them. They got in and the car headed in the direction of their apartment building.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Jack spoke, after they had traveled a while in silence.

"Yes, it was very nice. I had a great time," Elsa replied, smiling up at him, her expression changing into one of surprise, when he leaned towards her.

"Well, you're about to have an even better time, when we get home," he whispered seductively in her ear, nipping on her ear lobe, and pulled back to look at Elsa, who was now blushing furiously. A lop-sided grin spread across his lips and he turned his head around to look out the window, as if nothing had happened.

Elsa wasn't entirely sure how to react to his behavior, being perfectly aware that Jack was probably playing tricks on her again, so she just looked out the window as well and enjoyed the feeling of his arm around her shoulders.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their destination. Jack thanked the driver, then got out of the car and offered his hand to Elsa. Kai, the porter, bid them good night, as he opened the door of the apartment building for them. They smiled at him and replied to the greeting, then entered the elevator.

They stood in silence, waiting to reach the last floor. Elsa felt a bit anxious, awaiting Jack to make a move any minute now, pressing the _STOP_ button, slamming her against the elevator wall and taking her right there and then. After all these years, she'd learned to expect anything from her lover, who had proven to be quite passionate and unpredictable at times. She glanced at him, trying to read his expression, but Jack simply smiled at her and directed his attention back to the changing numbers above the elevator doors.

After a moment or two the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

"After you, milady," Jack said, gesturing for her to step out and following her, as she did.

He unlocked the door for her and they entered their apartment. Elsa walked slowly in the leaving room and draped her scarf over the back of the couch, then proceeded to removed her jewelry and put it on the coffee table. Jack stood at the entrance of the living room, admiring the view for a moment, whilst taking off his tie. She was just about to unzip her dress, when he cleared his throat, causing her to turn her head around and look at him in question.

"I believe I said removing that dress was for me to do," he remarked in a low voice, narrowing his eyes, the corner of his lips curving upwards ever so slightly.

Elsa gave him a smile of her own. 'Two can play this game,' she thought and opened her mouth to speak. "Be my guest," she said and turned around again.

She heard Jack make a few steps and felt him stand behind her. He reached up and gently pulled down the zipper of her dress. A second later the dress was in a pile on the floor around her feet, leaving her only in her skin colored strapless bra, panties and stockings. Jack moved to kneel in front of her, picking up the fabric from the floor, after Elsa had stepped out of it. He threw it over the back of a near-by chair and took her right foot in his hand. Placing a soft kiss on the arch, he made a movement to remove Elsa's shoe, only to have her pull her foot out of his hold and place the tip of the shoe right under his chin, causing him to look up at her. She shook her index finger at him, her eyes daring and her lips curved in a small lop-sided smile. Jack smirked and stood up, pulling her to him. With these shoes, Elsa reached up to his nose, which made it easier for him to kiss her without having to bend down too much. He took her chin between his thumb and index finger and slowly leaned towards her, not breaking eye contact until the moment his lips touched hers. He glided his tongue along her lips, gently parting them and gaining access to the inner part of her mouth, as Elsa wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his silver hair. He moved his hand to cup her head, drawing her even closer to him, deepening the kiss further. Slowly he started walking forward, pushing her backwards as he went, never breaking away from her lips, until her back came in contact with the cool surface of the wall.

Jack pulled back to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were parted and moist from the kiss they had shared, she was breathing heavily and her eyes were half-lidded with desire. The corner of his lips curved in a smile - she was gorgeous and she was his.

Elsa looked up at him. "Jack…" was all she managed before he drew her into another passionate kiss.

Jack's hands traveled down her body, feeling every inch of her porcelain skin, until they rested on her hips. Elsa grabbed the collar of his jacket and forced the fabric off his shoulders. Taking the hint, he released her and took off his jacked, letting it fall to the floor, his hands returning to her hips immediately after. He broke away from her lips once more, silencing her groan of disappointment, when he started trailing soft kissed along her jaw line and neck, proceeding downwards past her breasts and abdomen, until he reached his point of interest. Jack, who was now kneeling before Elsa, smiled against the lacy fabric of her undies and glanced up at her only to meet her sapphire eyes. She was blushing furiously and her chest was heaving due to her rapid breathing. Once again she tangled her fingers in his hair, silently pleading for him to continue. He complied and, without actually removing her undergarments, he gently pulled the lace out of his way, while his other hand traveled to the backside of her knee, pulling her leg and letting it rest on his shoulder.

"Jack," he heard her gasp his name, once his mouth came in contact with her most intimate parts.

He sucked and kissed the tender skin, licking and flicking his tongue for a few minutes before he felt Elsa's body tense and her grip on his hair tighten. He glanced up at her – her brow was furrowed and her lips formed a silent "O". Jack smiled against her skin and with one last flick of his tongue he drove her over the edge. Elsa moaned loudly, becoming weak at the knees. Luckily, Jack was there to support her weight, as she lost control over her shivering body, overcome by pleasure. He kept his mouth on her for a while longer, feeling her pulsate against his lips. With one last kiss, he slowly stood up, removing her leg from his shoulder. Once at an eye level with Elsa, he licked his lips before giving her a mischievous grin. Elsa, who wasn't sure what to expect, yelped in surprise, when he grabbed her and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, as he carried her to the massive dining table at the other end of the large room. He set her down, leaving her sitting on the wooden surface, and leaned forward to give her another kiss. She could faintly taste herself on his lips. Jack glided one of his hands to her back and with a single swift movement unhooked her bra , which he then took off and threw to the side. Elsa, on her part, made her way down, quickly unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. Jack pulled away from her lips and looked down, cupping her breasts, his fingers gently brushing over her nipples. Elsa moaned softly, throwing her head back, inviting Jack to kiss her neck, which he did gladly.

Suddenly, he grabbed her hips and pulled her from her sitting position, causing her to land on her feet. Before she could react in anyway, he flipped her around and bend her over the table. He gently ran his long fingers down her spine, making her shiver with excitement. His fingers reached the hem of her panties and curved around it, slowly pulling the piece of clothing down to the middle of her thighs. Then, putting his hands on either side of her hips, he positioned himself and gently made his way in. Elsa moaned softly, as Jack pulled back and pushed back in again. He moved slowly at first, teasing her, causing her to whisper his name in between breaths, pleading for more.

"Jack… please…" she moaned, as she supported herself on her forearms, her head bent down. "I can't… I can't take this anymore."

Smirking, Jack pushed himself in as deep as he could, drawing another gasp out of her. "That's your punishment for trying to tease me earlier, my love. You should know better by now," he said huskily, sliding a hand up the skin of her back.

He reached for her hair, pulling it gently, trying not to cause Elsa any pain, while still pulling hard enough for her to arch her back. She gasped, as cold shivers ran down her spine. Jack kept on pulling on her hair, forcing her to push herself off the table and move to lean her back onto his chest. Both of them in a standing position, Jack wrapped his free arm around Elsa's waist bringing her even closer to him. Elsa, still supporting herself on the table with the tips of her fingers, brought her other hand behind Jack's head, silently asking him to lean down and kiss her lips. He obliged and captured her lips, whilst thrusting into her, causing her to moan in his mouth. Jack steadily quickened his pace, his thrusts becoming rigid and abrupt, which left Elsa gasping for air. She felt pleasure building up inside of her once again and a few moments later, not able to hold it any longer, she reached her climax. Jack felt her stiffen and tighten around him, which added to his own excitement. He held her tightly, letting her enjoy herself, before gently pushing her to lie back down on the table. He supported himself on his hands and continued his movements, the table shaking under his force. Soon he felt his own release drawing near and, after a few more thrusts, waves of pleasure washed over him. He groaned, burying himself deep inside of her.

"I love you, Elsa," he whispered after catching his breath. "You're heavenly!"

Elsa looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. Jack pulled out of her and helped her off the table, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Elsa felt her underwear slip down her legs and fall to the floor.

Jack pulled away and looked at her naked form. "I have an idea," he said and Elsa raised an eyebrow in question. "How about we get in the bathtub for a bit?" he asked, grinning widely.

"I'd like that," Elsa replied and he took her hand, leading her towards the bathroom.

Jack turned the faucet and water started flowing in the ceramic bathtub. He added some bath salts and bubble bath mixture. He then seated Elsa on the edge of the bathtub and kneeled down in front of her, taking one of her feet in his hands and removing her shoe. He left it to the side and proceeded to remove her stoking. Elsa was watching him with amusement. When he was done with the other leg as well, he stood up and offered her his hand, pulling her up to her feet.

"We should get you out of these clothes too," she said, smiling up at him, and reached to unbutton his vest and shirt, slowly pushing them off his shoulders and down his arms until both garments fell to the bathroom floor. Her eyes trailed down his toned chest and well-defined abdomen and she bit her lip, as her fingers followed the relief of his muscles, slowly gliding towards his pants.

Jack watched as she moved to crouch in front of him, pulling his pants and underwear down in the process. Then she made her way up again and, satisfied with her work, smiled at him and stood on her toes to kiss him. "Better," she murmured.

Jack smirked and kicked off his socks, before he stepped out of the pile of clothes and made his way to the bathtub. He slowly entered the warm, bubble-filled water and leaned against the side of the bathtub. "Care to join me?" he asked, extending and arm to Elsa.

She took his hand and followed him into the water. She sat down with her back towards him and leaned onto his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes and sighed contently, feeling herself relax.

They stayed like that in silence for a while, simply enjoying the warmth of the water and the feeling of each other, until Jack spoke.

"Elsa," he said softly, nuzzling her hair.

"Mmm?" she muttered, too immersed in the relaxing feeling to speak.

Jack hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring this up but in the end decided to take his chances. "Do you… do you ever think about us… getting married and starting a family together?" he asked reluctantly.

Elsa's eyes shot open and her body tensed a little bit. Why was everybody suddenly talking about marriage? First it was Anna and now Jack too. She started feeling irritated.

"Elsa?" Jack said softly after she didn't respond for a few moments, causing her to snap out of her thoughts.

"O-of course, I do," she stuttered slightly, as she turned around to face him. "I… I just don't think that now is the right time for this."

"Why not?" Jack asked.

Elsa felt the irritation grow stronger. "Well, for starters, I haven't graduated yet."

"I don't see how that has anything to do with getting married. Not to mention that you'll be graduating in six months," he said and paused for a moment, studying her features. She was frowning. He cupped her cheek with his hand and stroked her skin with his thumb. "We've been together for quite some time now, Elsa. Don't you think that maybe it's time we took it to the next level?"

"Why are you pushing this, Jack?" she asked angrily, moving her face away from his hand.

"I'm not pushing anything. I was ju-"

"I'm not ready to discuss this right now!" She interrupted him.

"Then when will you be ready?" he asked, realizing that his question had sounded harsher than he had intended, as Elsa looked at him incredulously.

"When _The Guardians _beat _The Nightmares _on the national finals!" she spat back at him the sentence that had become a byword for 'never' and, before Jack could react, she stood up, got out of the bathtub and quickly walked out of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around herself.

Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Shit," he swore under his breath.

He got out of the bathtub and unclogged it. Then he grabbed a towel and, after securing it around his waist, he walked out, following Elsa's small wet footprints.

Elsa stood in the middle of the bedroom with her arms wrapped around herself. She loved Jack and she wanted to be with him, but was she ready to marry him? What confused her more, however, was her own reaction to his question. It wasn't like he had actually proposed to her. So, why had she reacted like that? Why was she feeling so annoyed?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door being pushed open. She heard Jack's footsteps drawing near and soon she felt his hands rest on her upper arms.

"Hey…" he said in a soft voice, pulling her to lean on him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to anger you."

She shook her head slowly, turning to look at him. "No, I… I overreacted a little. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I think all this school-related stress is getting to me," she replied.

Jack smiled. "Don't worry. We're going to Kristoff's villa. You'll be able to get some proper rest there," he said, stroking her hair, and placed a kiss on her forehead. He pulled back to look at her and his expression changed into a more serious one. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you no matter what. I love you, Elsa, with all my heart."

With this, he leaned down and captured her lips in his. Elsa reluctantly wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. Jack moved slowly, pushing her towards the bed, until both of them climbed on top of the soft covers. He swiftly removed the towels and carefully lied on top of Elsa, supporting himself on his forearms, her legs on either side of him. He once more positioned himself at her entrance and pulled back from the kiss to look her in the eyes, before he slowly made his way in. She wrapped her arms around his torso and her legs around his waist, as he moved inside of her, never breaking eye contact. She felt her heart flutter. What they had shared previously was mindless, passionate sex. This… this was different. This was full of emotion. It was Jack's declaration of love for her.

It didn't take long for Elsa to reach her peak. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and moaned softly, Jack following suit after a few more moments.

It took him a minute to catch his breath, before he once again looked at her. "You're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my entire life and I love you more than anything in this world," he whispered, brushing a stray hair off her face.

Elsa simply smiled up at him, too tired to reply. Seeing this, Jack pulled out her and lied on his back, letting her rest her head on his chest.

The last thing Elsa heard before drifting off to sleep was the strong heartbeat underneath his warm skin.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed that :D**

**Don't forget to leave a review ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everybody! :)**

****Thanks so much to all those who reviewed, favorited and followed my story!** I'm very grateful ;)  
**

**Before you start reading this chapter, I'd like to say that last week I've posted another Jelsa story. It's a one-shot song fic. Go check it out if you are interested. Though, I must warn you it features twincest.  
**

**Now, back to this story. I was a bit late posting this chapter, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 9

The following two weeks passed very quickly for Elsa. The weekend after the charity ball, Anna had dragged her out to do Christmas shopping, for which Elsa had been grateful, because she had completely forgotten there were presents to be bought. In moments like those, she appreciated her little sister's love for shopping. They had managed to buy gifts for everybody in less than a day's time, as Anna had already prepared a list of possible gift ideas for everybody, including herself.

Luckily for Elsa, her classes had ended in the beginning of the month and, aside from a couple of term papers she had had to submit, she hadn't had any finals to prepare for. That, however, hadn't stopped her from spending most of her free time at the university's library, doing research for her dissertation. She had been so absorbed by her work that, if it hadn't been for Jack who would pick her up and drive her home every evening, she would have spent her nights in the library as well. He had insisted that she takes it easy or least takes some of her work at home. In return, she had snapped at him saying that he didn't understand how important this was for her and that she needed privacy and focus. Though, she had to admit she had been feeling more and more tired and extremely irritable. But she had accounted all that to stress, knowing that a vacation had been long overdue. She had found herself eagerly anticipating the day they would leave for Kristoff's villa in the mountains.

And finally that day had come.

* * *

It was Saturday morning. Anna and Kristoff had already left for the villa under the pretence that Kristoff had to clean up a bit and put things in order before the rest of the group arrived later that day. But Elsa was pretty sure there was something else going on, since Kristoff had started to relax around Anna, after they'd hit it off at the charity ball. She didn't mind, though. She trusted Kristoff and knew that he wouldn't do anything to harm her sister. Not to mention that he was the only topic of conversation Anna had been interested in for the past two weeks.

Bunny and Jack had agreed to travel with Bunny's car, a Nissan Pathfinder, which was much more reliable and stable in winter conditions than Jack's Audi A8. They had met earlier and gone shopping for food, drinks and other provisions to bring to the villa. Elsa had been left with the task of packing hers and Jack's luggage.

Elsa stood above the open suitcase in the middle of the living room. She held a pencil to her lips and carefully looked through the items on her list, checking if she had forgotten anything. She had already wrapped the gifts and arranged them carefully in a separate bag. Jack's suitcase was also packed and the only thing left was for her to double-check her list.

"Clothes – check; boots, slippers and flip-flops – check; shampoo… conditioner… mhm… " she murmured to herself, checking items off the list. "Sanitary pads! I knew I was forgetting something," she exclaimed and headed in the direction of the bathroom. She kneeled in front of the sink and opened the cabinet underneath it. "That reminds me… I should really check when… Oh for God's sake! Where have I put those…" she cursed under breath, fidgeting through the contents of the cabinet. "Ah, finally! Here they a- oh!" she yelled, as she stood up abruptly and hit her head in the sink.

She walked out of the bathroom, rubbing the back of her head and wincing slightly at the pain. She was holding a packet, which she threw in the suitcase, before she went to the couch and started rummaging through her handbag, looking for her wallet. When she finally located it, she opened it and took out a small calendar.

"Let's see… What day is it today?... December 17…" she spoke to herself, following the small numbers on the calendar. Suddenly her eyes widened in shock. "Three weeks," she murmured. "No, no, this can't be right!" She shook her head and counted silently again. "Oh my God…" her voice came as a whisper, the expression of shock returning to her features. "I'm three weeks late…"

She bit her lower lip, nervously running a hand through her hair, and started pacing in a circle, still looking at the calendar. She re-calculated a few more times, but the answer didn't change. Surely, she had known she was a bit late this month, but she found it normal, given all the stress around her studies, and she had relied on the fact that she had been taking her birth control pills regularly. Yet, how could she have ignored three whole weeks!

Elsa felt anxiety rise rapidly within her and her chest tightened making it hard for her to breathe. She rushed in the bathroom and opened a drawer under the sink, searching for her pills. Finally taking the small box out, she started reading the leaflet.

"98% effective," she read out loud. "Oh God! This can't be happening!"

She supported herself on the edge of the sink, hanging her head, taking deep breaths to calm herself down, while her brain was working quickly, trying to figure out what she should do.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She glanced at her watch. It was 11:00 am. Jack had told her he would be back to pick her up at around noon. She had to act quickly. She exited the bathroom, grabbed her jacket, wallet and keys, and, slipping into the nearest pair of shoes, ran out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. She hurried out of the building and stopped, turning around, trying to remember where the nearest pharmacy was located. Luckily, there was one 5 minutes away. Elsa ran in that direction as fast as she could, trying not to slip on the icy sidewalk. Soon she reached the pharmacy in question and practically stormed in, earning a few disturbed looks from other customers. She browsed the isles quickly and a few minutes later finally found what she was looking for. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and reaching for a box of pregnancy tests. Then she turned to walk in the direction of the cashier only to stop and turn around again after a few steps. She looked at the box in her hand and then at the shelf where she'd taken it from. After a short consideration she went back and grabbed another two boxes of different brands and headed back to the cashier. She paid, trying her best to hide her embarrassment, and, grabbing the non-transparent bag off the counter, she sprinted out of the pharmacy and back to the apartment building.

Upon entering the apartment she slipped out of her shoes and, after making sure Jack was still not home, she ran in the bathroom closing the door behind her. She took a minute to catch her breath and took the three boxes out of the bag. She read the instructions on each one of them and proceeded to unpack one pregnancy test from each box. She used all three of them and, when she was done, she laid them out on the side of the sink and stared down at them, waiting nervously for the result, her arms folded over her chest. She bit her lip, as the seconds ticked away. A couple of minutes later markings started appearing in the result field of each test.

"Plus! What does that mean?" she whispered annoyed and grabbed the boxes to read the instructions again. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no, NO!" she said out loud, her eyes shifting between the boxes and the three tests.

Slowly, with a shaking hand, she took the three pieces of plastic and leaned against the wall, sliding down, until she was sitting on the floor. She clasped her hand over mouth, as tears started stinging her eyes. She felt her heart beat hard against her chest.

"This can't be happening to me…" she sobbed and stared at the tests, as if trying to magically change the result they were showing. But the plus signs remained as they were. "What am I going to do?" she cried.

Her mind was racing, trying to find a solution to the situation, but it seemed there was no easy way out of it. There was nothing she could do now, since they were leaving in an hour. And she couldn't tell Jack, not at least until she had decided what she wanted to do. But what _was _she going to do?

The sound of the front door opening and closing brought her out of her thoughts.

"Elsa?" Jack called.

"I-I'm in the bathroom, I'll be ready in a minute," she replied trying to sound normal.

"Great! I'm taking part of the luggage down to the car. I'll come back in a bit," he said and Elsa heard him moving a suitcase around, before opening and closing the front door again.

With one last look at the pregnancy tests, Elsa rose to her feet and wiped her eyes. She shoved the tests and the boxes back into the bag and slowly opened the bathroom door. After making sure Jack was indeed gone, she made her way up the stairs to her studio. She hid the bag in a large tool box, where she usually kept her carving instruments, and walked back down. She put a few more things in her suitcase and closed it, just when Jack re-entered the apartment.

"Are you ready to go?" he said cheerfully and moved to take her suitcase as well.

"Yeah," Elsa replied and turned around to look at him, forcing a smile.

Jack frowned upon seeing the red shade of her face. "Are you OK?" he asked worriedly.

Elsa felt her heart skip a beat. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she stuttered. "I'm just very excited about this trip."

Jack smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss. "Let's go then!"

* * *

**A/N: SURPRISE! Haha :D **

**Actually, it shouldn't be much of a surprise cause I gave some minor hints in the previous chapters.**

**Before you start picking on me, I know 3 weeks is kind of long for somebody not to notice their period was late, but please bear with me for the sake of the story. I tried to justify it, too xD**

**Anyway, that said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter even if it was a bit short. And don't forget to review! ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, loves! :)**

******First off, thanks so much to all those who reviewed, favorited and followed my story!** You've made me very happy ;)****

****I'm sorry that it took me so long to update, but I had a very hard time writing this chapter, mostly cause it wasn't planned in the first place, so it kind of just came to be. But it took the best of me and I have to apologize if it appears a bit rushed and inconsistent. I might come back and edit it at a later point.****

**Now, for those of you who wondered about the pregnancy symptoms I've mentioned in the story, they were fatigue, irritability and slight dizziness (the latter briefly mentioned in Chapter 7).**

**Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to Elsa's thoughts and feelings. I personally don't like it at all, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE  
**

CHAPTER 10

Elsa sat in the back seat of Bunny's large car and tried her best to act normal, despite the fact that her mind kept on wandering to the positive pregnancy tests, hidden in her atelier. She was occasionally glancing at Jack who was sitting in the front passenger seat, chatting excitedly with Bunny and Tia about all the things they could do during their vacation – from snowboarding to decorating the Christmas tree and preparing the festive dinner.

She felt her stomach sink every time she looked at his happy expression. She wondered for a moment what his reaction would be if she told him she was pregnant. No doubt he would be exhilarated. After all, he loved children and probably craved having one of his own. She still remembered the blissful expression he had had that day at the skating school, when he had been teaching that little girl, Sophie, how to skate. Elsa didn't doubt for a second that Jack would make a wonderful father and that he would be the happiest man on the planet, if he knew she was carrying his child. But could she say the same for herself? Was she ready to be a mother? Putting aside the fact that she was only twenty-three and still at university, was she at least a bit happy about this pregnancy?

Suddenly, Elsa realized that until this moment she hadn't actually considered her own feelings for even a second. She absentmindedly placed a hand on her stomach. She couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of a miniature version of Jack or herself running around the apartment. In the end, she had planned to have kids eventually. It was just that she had planned that to happen at a much later point in her life. Maybe after she turned thirty... She hoped that by then she would have had the chance to establish herself as a name in the artistic world and have the opportunity to develop and enjoy her career, staging exhibitions all over the world, meeting and interacting with new people. Of course, Jack featured in every part of her plan. After all, he was the most important person in her life and she loved him. She couldn't bear the thought of living without him. But a baby… A baby would require all of her time, energy and attention and, even with Jack there to help and support her, she would be too tired to use the very little free time she would have to do anything other than rest.

The more her mind lingered on the thought, the more she realized that this was a huge sacrifice she wasn't prepared to make just yet.

Elsa glanced at Jack again. He was laughing at a joke Bunny had just made. He was so happy and, luckily, oblivious to her thoughts. It made her feel guilty for keeping this from him. A part of her knew that she had to tell him, no matter what her final decision about the baby would be. But another part of her knew that, if she told him, he would want her to keep it. And she wasn't certain that was what _she_ wanted.

She turned to look out the window again. Right now she didn't have to decide anything. She still had two weeks time to think about what she wanted to do until they went back home and she would have to make up her mind. The hardest part would be keeping it a secret from Jack and the rest. She sighed and prayed that no pregnancy symptoms would appear before the end of their vacation.

The sound of somebody calling her name and the feeling of a warm hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Elsa?" Tia asked. "Are you okay?"

Elsa turned around to face the woman sitting beside her and forced a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," she responded and glanced at Jack, who had turned to look at her. "Why?"

"It's just that you haven't said a word for the past hour. I thought you might not be feeling so well… that you have car sickness or something," Tia replied.

"No, I'm feeling alright. I'm just a bit tired. That's all," Elsa lied, smiling at both Tia and Jack.

"We still have another hour or so until we arrive, so you can take a nap if you like," Jack said.

Elsa considered his suggestion for a moment. A nap would definitely take her mind off of things for a while. "Yes, I think that's a good idea," she nodded.

"Here," Tia said, as she folded her large fluffy scarf and placed it on her thighs. "You can use me as a pillow."

Elsa smiled at her and removed her boots before she curled up on the seat, placing her head in Tia's lap.

"Thanks," she said and closed her eyes. She felt the other woman stroke her hair soothingly and soon she succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Due to traffic, the trip to Kristoff's villa had taken them a bit longer than expected. They had driven for about four hours from the city to the small mountain town, beautifully situated on the western slope of the mountain. The sun had already started setting and the golden rays were reflecting in the windows of the cozy-looking houses, covered in Christmas decorations and buried in glistering snow.

Kristoff's villa was located in the upper end, overlooking the small town. It was a beautiful, modern, two-story mountain house with large windows, which were currently filled with the light of the setting sun.

"Whoa nice!" Bunny whistled under his breath, pulling up in the driveway behind Kristoff's car.

Jack turned around to look at the two girls in the back seat. "Is she still sleeping?" he asked.

Tia nodded. "Poor thing, she must have been very tired."

"Yeah, she's been very busy over the past couple of weeks. I think the accumulated stress and lack of proper sleep finally caught up with her," he replied. "Don't wake her up, I'll come and take her."

Bunny and Jack had just gotten out of the car, when the front door of the house flew open and an excited Anna ran out.

"Finally!" she shrieked, heading towards them, Kristoff trailing behind her. "What took you so long?"

Jack turned around and placed his index finger over his lips, signaling her to be quiet. He then opened the back door of the car carefully and gently climbed half-way in.

"What's going on?" Anna whispered, turning to Bunny.

"Elsa is asleep. Jack didn't want to wake her up," he replied softly.

Jack scooped Elsa in his arms and took her out of the car, cradling her closer to his body to shield her from the cold air.

"Can you point me to the room we're gonna be using?" he asked, looking at Kristoff.

He nodded and led the way, while Bunny, Anna and Tia started unloading the car. Jack followed Kristoff up the stairs, walking carefully, trying his best not to wake Elsa. They reached the room and Kristoff opened the door.

"That's the one," he said quietly. "I'll go help with the luggage."

Jack nodded and walked in. He laid Elsa gently on the queen-sized bed and pulled a blanked on top of her. He crouched down next to the bed and brushed a lock of stray hair off her face before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Elsa stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

"Jack…" she mumbled sleepily.

"Shhh, it's okay, you can sleep for a bit longer. I'll wake you up, when dinner is ready," he said, caressing her cheek.

"Mmm… okay," Elsa managed before she drifted off to sleep again.

Jack kissed her once more and walked out of the room, carefully closing the door. He headed downstairs, where his friends were already unpacking.

"Is everything alright with Elsa?" Anna asked, opening one of the larger bags with food.

"Yeah, she's just a bit tired. She's been doing a lot of work for her dissertation recently and hasn't been getting enough sleep," Jack replied, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to decide how to help with unpacking.

"Yeah, I'm sure the _dissertation_ is the reason for her lack of sleep," Bunny said with a wink and everybody laughed.

"Shut up," Jack replied, smirking, trying to hide his blush. "I don't see Tooth yawning or being drained of energy, so that says a lot about you," he teased.

"Hey! Don't judge me. In our case, I'm the one who can't walk after that," Bunny replied. "The woman is bloody insatiable!"

"Hey!" Tia shrieked embarrassed. "I don't hear you complaining about that in the bedroom."

"What? Am I lying?" Bunny replied and she threw a bag of chips at him, hitting him square in the face.

Jack and Anna laughed.

"Smooth, very smooth," Kristoff remarked, smirking.

* * *

Elsa opened her eyes slowly and yawned. She stared into the darkness for a moment before looking around for a light source. Turning to her right, she made out the silhouette of the small lamp on the night stand. She reached to turn it on and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She sat there for a moment, surveying her surroundings. The room was fairly big and spacious, equipped with a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a very comfortable looking arm chair and, of course, the large bed she was sitting on, together with two bed stands. She was happy to see that the room also had its private bathroom.

Elsa decided to get out of bed. She stood up and stretched a little, then walked to the big window and looked out. The sky was full of stars. She smiled – it was nice to see the stars again. She rarely did anymore because of all the light pollution in the big city. Her eyes trailed downwards and she looked at all the Christmas lights gracing the houses in the small mountain town. The view was magical!

But her smile soon disappeared, when reality came crushing down on her again. Elsa looked down and rested a hand on her stomach.

Her mind was preoccupied. She had calculated that she was roughly four weeks along and it wouldn't be long until symptoms started to become more pronounced. Not to mention that she had a very limited amount of time until one her options would no longer be available. She knew she had to make a decision quick. She just hoped that the choice she was more inclined to make wouldn't cost her a lot more that what she was prepared to give. She hoped it wouldn't cost her… Jack.

"Why couldn't you wait for another few years?" Elsa muttered, looking at her stomach, and sighed deeply, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.

She knew she had to calm down. She still had about two weeks before this vacation was over and she couldn't do anything before they went home. So, until then she just had to act normal.

Suddenly realizing it was probably quite late, Elsa remembered Jack saying he was going to wake her up for dinner. She went in the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself, looking in the mirror, and taking a deep breath, she left the room and headed downstairs.

Elsa gasped at the sight of the living room. It was a large but very cozy room that combined both the dining area and the lounge. It was furnished with a big dining table and eight chairs, a couple of sofas, two coffee tables and a TV. But what impressed Elsa the most were the large windows, overlooking the mountain slope, and the fireplace currently warming up the whole room. She could just imagine herself curled up under a blanket in front of the fire, reading a nice book and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate.

She wondered where the others were and her question was answered, when she heard Anna's voice coming from the kitchen, and she headed in that direction.

Entering the kitchen, she saw her sister and Tia preparing dinner. "Hello," she said and yawned a bit.

"Oh, hi there, sleeping beauty!" Anna replied cheerfully from her spot at the stove. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thanks. How long have I been asleep, since we arrived?" Elsa asked.

"About two hours," Tia said. "You must have been exhausted, if you didn't even feel Jack carrying you out of the car."

"I guess so… Sorry, I left you prepare dinner all on your own," Elsa said, as she observed the appetizing dishes. "How can I help?"

"That's alright, we were having fun. Plus, the guys helped as well," Anna smiled. "Everything is pretty much ready, so you can set the table if you like."

Elsa moved about, trying to locate the plates and cutlery. "Where are they, by the way?"

"They went to move the cars in the garage and Kristoff is also showing them something," Tia replied, as she took two bowls of salad and carried them into the living room.

* * *

The next few days had passed fairly quickly. On Sunday, they had put up the Christmas three and decorated the whole house, which made it even more inviting than it already was. Jack, Bunny and Kristoff would spend the better part of the day snowboarding on the ski slope in the nearby ski resort. Initially Elsa had planned to mostly stay at the house with a nice book in her hands, but Anna had insisted she joined her and Tia every time they went out. At first, Elsa had felt rather frustrated, but she had to admit that it took her mind off of things. They would go for a walk in the town, visiting local shops and whatever else interesting there was to see. After that, they would sit at a nice café and talk on various topics, some of which included their personal lives. Elsa had been happy to find out Anna's relationship with Kristoff was going well, but she had tried to answer all questions regarding the future of hers and Jack's relationship as vaguely as possible without arousing any suspicion.

The hardest part of all, however, had been dealing with Jack and his sexual appetite. Elsa couldn't help but tense up every time he touched her, even if it was just an innocent hug or a kiss on the forehead. She felt like a traitor. She hated herself for hiding something like that from him – the only person who could comfort her and assure her that everything would be alright no matter what. The truth was she craved his touch. She wanted him to embrace her and erase all her worries. She wanted to bury her face in the crook of his neck and forget everything. But the thought of being intimate with him sickened her somehow. She had the feeling that, if he got that close to her, he would sense she was hiding something from him. And she couldn't risk that.

The first days after their arrival, she had used her fatigue as an excuse to refuse him and, thankfully, he had been understanding. But knowing Jack, Elsa was aware that he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off her for long. And she also knew that she could say she was tired only this many times before he noticed there was something wrong. So, she had to come up with another reason to keep him at bay, which had happened sooner than she had anticipated.

It was in the evening of Christmas Day. Jack was in the shower and Elsa was standing next to the bed, absentmindedly applying cream on her hands. It had been a very nice day. Everybody had been happy with the gifts they had received. They had celebrated Christmas with a lot of tasty food and interesting games, concluding the day with a nice movie. For once, she hadn't thought about the baby. She sighed contently and was just about to get in bed, when a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist from behind and pulled her towards a very firm chest.

"Hello, beautiful," Jack whispered in her ear and kissed her neck, his wet hair dripping on her shoulder. Elsa couldn't help but lean into his touch for a second, closing her eyes. "I have another gift for you," he said huskily and his hands slid down towards the hem of her silky night gown.

Suddenly, Elsa's eyes snapped open. "No!" she almost yelled, roughly pushing him off her and going a few steps away from him.

Jack looked at her in confusion, not quite sure what he had done to provoke such a reaction from her. Elsa looked back at him for a moment, before she realized exactly what she had done.

"I- I'm sorry," she stuttered, trying to regain her composure, her mind rapidly thinking of a way out of the situation. "I… I'm on my period, yes… on my period," she repeated the last part, surprised at her own creativity. "It came this morning…"

"O…kay…" Jack replied, raising an eyebrow. "And… since when am I not allowed to hug you and kiss you, while you're on your period?"

Elsa fidgeted a little with the fabric of her night gown, trying to come up with a reasonable answer to his very valid question. "It's just that… this time it was a bit late… I guess it's because of all the stress around my studies… and…" she started explaining, trying her best to sound convincing. "I just feel a bit more uncomfortable than usual. That's all."

Jack sighed running a hand thought his wet hair. "I see…" he said slowly. Something was off about her behavior but he didn't want to dig into it, seeing how jumpy she was. "Let's go to bed then," he said instead and smiled at her.

Elsa sighed, feeling relieved. She climbed on the bed and lied down, watching as Jack changed into the pants and T-shirt he used as PJs. She felt so guilty for lying to him like that, it pained her. But she had no other choice.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said softly, when he joined her under the covers.

Jack looked at her and gave her a warm smile. "There's nothing to be sorry about, love. We'll have fun, when we go back home," he replied and leaned to give her a kiss, blissfully unaware she was apologizing for something completely different.

Jack turned the bedside lamp off and lied down. "Sleep tight, little snowflake. I love you," he whispered and kissed her forehead, before resting on his back.

"Good night, Jack," she replied and relaxed beside him. "I love you, too…"

Elsa lay, staring in the darkness. Saying she was on her period had been a very plausible excuse, given that she was anyway late and Jack might have noticed it. It also gave her about a week's time, without having to actually struggle to avoid intimacy with him, which was exactly what she needed. In a week they would be going home and she would finally be able to take care of this whole issue.

Soon she heard Jack's even breathing. It hadn't taken long him to fall asleep. Elsa turned to look at him. He was so peaceful, his lips slightly parted and his chest steadily moving up and down.

Strangely enough, even now, oblivious as he was to the whole situation, Jack still gave her some sense of calmness and security. Elsa sighed and snuggled closer to him and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," she whispered, and closed her eyes.

* * *

The morning light crept into the dark room though the small crack between the curtains and played on Elsa's face, causing her to stir from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched, yawning. She looked at the clock on the bed stand – 9:00 AM.

'January 1st, huh…' she thought. 'I hope this year will be better than the last.'

With a sigh, she sat up and looked at the other side of the bed, where Jack was still sleeping, snoring lightly. Given the amount of alcohol he had ingested the previous night and how late he'd gone to bed, she figured he would be sleeping for quite a while longer, so she slowly got out of bed. She tiptoed to the window and gently pulled the curtains, peaking outside. It was beautiful morning. The sun was still low over the horizon and was now gracing the snowy mountain slope with its soft light.

Elsa felt the urge to go out for a breath of fresh air. She went to the wardrobe and opened it slowly, then took out her fluffy one-piece jumpsuit and a pair of warm socks, which she quickly put on. With one last look at Jack's sleeping form, Elsa sneaked out of the room and went downstairs. She was happy to see that nobody else was awake yet, which meant she would be able to enjoy a quiet moment to herself. Putting her boots on, she went outside.

She shivered slightly, when the cold air came in contact with the skin of her face. But she didn't mind it, it felt refreshing. She made a few steps, going to a spot, from where she could see the whole town. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the fresh winter air and stayed there for a while, simply enjoying the view and the silence around her.

She sighed. The next day they would be traveling home and she would have to finally make up her mind. She felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought that only in a couple of days she would have to make the toughest decision in her life.

Elsa stayed outside for a while longer and decided to head back inside. She turned around to walk towards the house, when she felt an acidic bile building up in her stomach and making its way up her throat. Before she knew what hit her, she bent down and vomited in a nearby snow-covered bush.

Once the spasms had passed, she spat out and straightened up, wiping her mouth.

"Elsa?" she froze at the sound of the voice behind her.

* * *

**A/N: PAM PAM PAAAAAAAAM! Now who might that be? :D**

**And to make you hate me even more, I'll tell you that next week I won't be updating, because I'm going on vacation. So, the next chapter will only be up in the beginning of June.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! (even if it's just to tell me you hate me for that cliffhanger xD)**


	11. Chapter 11

****I'M SO SORRYYYYYY! I AM! REALLY, I AM! ****

****I didn't mean to leave you guys waiting for so long for this chapter. It's just that I was traveling, then I had to take care of some real life stuff and then I was traveling again. I just really couldn't concentrate on writing this because I also had some issues with the story that I had to figure those out first. So, please forgive me for the long wait!****

****That said, ****** thanks so much to all those who reviewed, favorited and followed my story!** You're awesome!********

********Also, I've written another one-shot, called _The Weakest of Hearts. _Feel free to check it out, if you haven't already :)********

********Now back to this story...********

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

****GIVE IT A CHANCE****

CHAPTER 11

Elsa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before turning around to face Bunny with a fake smile on her lips.

"Good morning! I didn't hear you there," she said and, noticing the look in his eyes, she continued to answer his silent question, "I guess I had a bit too much to drink last night," she said and laughed uncomfortably.

"You didn't drink anything last night," he replied slowly, his expression persisting.

So, somebody had noticed after all. "Then maybe the food didn't agree with me," she said trying hard to avoid his eyes.

"No offence, Elsa, but I have three sisters and ten nephews and nieces," Bunny said, as the look of suspicion in his eyes changed to one of realization. "I know morning sickness, when I see it."

The smile disappeared from her face and she stared at the ground, feeling there was no way out of this one.

"Come on, let's go inside. You could use a warm cup of tea," Bunny said in a soft voice and gestured for her to follow him, which she did reluctantly.

They went in the kitchen. Elsa rinsed her mouth and sat at the table, anxiety building up in her chest with every moment that passed. A few minutes later Bunny walked to her and handed her a cup of warm yellow liquid.

"Chamomile. It's gonna help soothe your stomach," he said, as she accepted the tea, and sat down across of her.

Elsa held the cup with both her hands and stared at it, refusing to look up. They stayed in silence for a while, before Bunny finally spoke up.

"When did you find out?"

"Two weeks ago," she replied quietly.

"How far along?" came his next question.

Elsa hesitated for a moment. "About six weeks…"

"Does Jack know?" Bunny asked and, realizing he didn't really need an answer to that, he continued. "Of course, he doesn't. We wouldn't have heard the end of it if he did. The question is why haven't you told him yet?"

Elsa remained silent, still staring at her tea.

"Are you afraid that he wouldn't want the baby? Because I can assure you-"

"That's not it," she cut him off mid-sentence and lifted her head slowly, finally looking up at him.

"You're not sure you wanna keep it," Bunny said slowly, reading her behavior.

Elsa sighed deeply, looking down at her tea again. "I'm not ready for this, Bunny" she spoke quietly.

"Elsa," he replied. She could feel the scowl in his voice. "This is not a decision you can make on your own. You have to tell him. He deserves to know. It's his child, too."

"He doesn't _have_ to know," she replied and Bunny frowned. She saw the criticism in his bright green eyes. "We'll be able to have other kids… when both of us actually want it."

Bunny frowned. "Jack has suffered enough in his life, Elsa. You know that very well. I'm not going to let you hurt him any further! Either you tell him, or I will!" he said angrily and stood up abruptly.

She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath before she replied quietly. "Okay… I'll tell him," she said and looked up at Bunny pleadingly. "Just keep it between us for now, please."

* * *

Fortunately for Elsa, Bunny had agreed to keep it quiet and give her a chance to tell Jack about the pregnancy herself. He hadn't pressed the issue any further which allowed her to act natural in front of Jack and everybody else until they went home the next day. Her only problem now was trying to hide her morning sickness from Jack.

Luckily, the week after New Year had been very busy for him, since the upcoming Friday _The Guardians_ would have a very important game. This had also been the reason why coach North had given his team an extra long break around the Christmas holidays. But following their holiday, Jack, Bunny and Kristoff were back to practice and hard at work. Jack would go out early in the morning and return home later than usual and most of the time completely exhausted, so after dinner he would go in the shower and then straight to bed. Since Elsa was still on her winter break from university, she would spend most of her time at home, working on her dissertation for the better part of the day. She rarely went to the library anymore, mostly because it was cold and snowy, and without Jack being there to drive her, she preferred to stay in. Or at least that was the explanation she had given to Jack, when he'd become curious.

The truth was she spent most of her day lying on the couch with a wet cloth on her forehead and her feet resting on a pillow, because her pregnancy was already starting to get the best of her. She had initially thought hiding her morning sickness would be a problem. Surely that had been a problem alright, but to her dismay it hadn't been the only one she had on her plate. For starters, her morning sickness was more of a throughout-the-day sickness. Every time she rushed towards the bathroom, she thanked all the gods that Jack wasn't there to ask questions. Then there were the food cravings…and aversions. It wasn't enough that she would vomit 3-4 times a day, but her favorite foods just _had_ to make her nauseous too. And if there had ever been any doubt whatsoever that she was pregnant with Jack's baby, it had been completely erased, when Elsa found herself reaching for the jar of vegemite in the fridge (an Australian toast spread Bunny had introduced Jack to, when they were younger), spreading some on a slice of bread and topping it with canned tuna – a treat Jack absolutely loved and she utterly hated. To top it all up, her whole body was heavy with fatigue.

However, terrible as she was feeling, Elsa was grateful that the baby wasn't letting her work, because that forced her to think about this whole situation – a topic she would have otherwise gladly ignored.

* * *

It was Thursday late afternoon, and Elsa was lying on the couch with one arm draped over her forehead and the other handing loosely over the edge of the cushion. Her eyes were closed, as her mind replayed the conversation she'd had with Bunny over and over again in her head. During the past few days she'd had enough time to think things through. Yet, she was still not sure she wanted this baby. Not right now at least. However, she also knew Bunny was right – Jack deserved to know. She knew she had to tell him. She just couldn't muster the courage to.

Slowly she lifted her arm from the side of the couch and gently placed her hand on her tummy.

"You're so small and yet you've already caused me so much trouble," she whispered.

Suddenly she heard keys being inserted in the front door. She quickly straightened up and grabbed a nearby Art History book, which had been lying on the coffee table, right when the door opened and Jack walked in followed by Bunny. Elsa felt herself get nervous. She stood up, praying she wouldn't get dizzy, and walked towards them.

"Hello, love!" Jack greeted her with a smile and leaned down to give her a kiss.

"Hey! You're home early today," she replied and glanced at Bunny. Her heart clenched into a ball, when she met his eyes, and she immediately looked away.

"Yeah… Coach let us off early, saying we should be resting before tomorrow's game and all," Jack said, as they removed their shoes and walked into the living room.

Elsa turned around and headed for the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink, Bunny?" she offered and poured herself a glass of juice, trying her best to hide how nervous she was and desperately looking for a way to make herself scarce.

"Uh…no," he relied quickly. "I'll be on my way as soon as this idiot of a snowman gives back the DVD he's been keeping since forever," he said pointedly, looking at Jack, who grinned sheepishly.

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay," she replied and walked to the spiral staircase leading to her atelier. "I'll be in my studio then."

She started climbing the stairs, when Bunny's voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"May I see your latest works, Elsa?" he said looking at her with his piercing green eyes.

Her heart started racing and she gulped nervously. "S-sure, come right up," she stuttered and continued her ascend, followed by Bunny, leaving Jack in the living room to look for the DVD in question.

Once they entered her atelier, she reluctantly turned around to face him. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was looking at her with anger evident in his eyes.

"You haven't told him yet, have you?" he asked her.

Elsa sighed and lowered her eyes, shaking her head.

"Elsa…" Bunny warned.

"I- I wanted to tell him," she replied looking up again. "But he's just been so preoccupied with training for the game tomorrow that I didn't get the chance to. Besides, think about it – if I drop something like this on him now, he won't be able to concentrate on the game at all," she said and paused for a second. "I'll tell him, I promise. I'll do it tomorrow after the game."

"_I found it!"_ they heard Jack shout triumphantly from the living room.

Bunny looked at her for a few long moments, before he sighed, his arms dropping to his sides. "Fine. But if you don't do it tomorrow, I'm gonna do it for you," he said and with one last look at her he turned around and left.

Elsa closed her eyes and breathed out, trying to calm her racing heart. She disliked how Bunny had cornered her, but he was right – there's was no point in postponing it any further. She was already 7 weeks pregnant and her time for making a decision about the baby was running out. She would have to tell Jack the next day.

The problem was she was still not sure exactly what she wanted.

* * *

On Friday morning Jack left the apartment fairly early, saying he had to meet the coach and his teammates to go over their game strategy and warm up a little before the match, which was to take place at 7 pm.

"Okay, I'm off. Here's your ticket," Jack said and handed her the piece of paper before he kissed her softly on the lips.

"I'll see you after the game. Good luck!" Elsa replied smiling and watched, as he flung his sports bag over his shoulder and left.

Jack was barely out the door, when Elsa hurried towards the bathroom hurling over the toilet. A couple of minutes later she straitened up, wiping her mouth, moving to sit down on the titles, leaning on the side of the bathtub, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, her phone started ringing. Groaning, she stood up and made her way to the living room, trying to ignore the pain she felt throughout her body.

"Hey Anna," she answered, after seeing the caller ID.

"_Are you okay?"_ her sister asked. _"You sound a bit… off. Did I wake you up?"_

"No, you didn't. Don't worry. I'm just a little tired," Elsa replied.

"_Did Jack keep you up all night again?"_ Anna asked suggestively and Elsa could only imagine her sister wiggling her eyebrows.

"Very funny, Anna," Elsa scowled but couldn't contain the smile that crept on her lips. "So, what's up?"

"_Ugh… I'm so angry right now!"_ Anna replied and sighed deeply. _"I won't be able to come to the game tonight."_

"Why? What happened?"

"_Well, we have this stupid group project that we need to submit before the end of the winter break and we're meeting tonight at 6 to work on it," _Anna said, obviously deeply disappointed.

Elsa frowned. "That's too bad… I was looking forward to spending some time with you," she said. "And I know I won't be the only one disappointed you're not coming…" She heard Anna gasp and chuckled. "Don't worry, Anna, I'm sure Kristoff will understand."

Anna whined. _"I really wanted to go!"_ she cried. _"Anyway, I have to run now. I have cheerleading practice in a bit. I'll talk to you later, okay?"_

"Till later and take care!" Elsa replied and hung up the phone.

* * *

The day had passed fairly quickly and luckily the baby had apparently decided to take mercy on Elsa, because she was feeling a lot better… at least in comparison to the previous days.

She was now standing in front of the mirror, examining her looks. She had discovered that none of her pairs of jeans fit her any longer, which she found rather alarming. In the end, she had settled for a looser dress, hoping it will be able to cover how bloated she actually was. After she was satisfied with how she looked, she called a taxi and left the apartment, heading for the sports center, where the game was to take place.

She arrived a bit earlier and sneaked through the back door, designated only for players and employees of the center. It was something Jack had told her to do in order to avoid the crowds of people, saying he would tell security about her, so that they let her in. She had to admit it was a privilege she rather enjoyed, given how crowded the center could get before and after a game.

It didn't take long for her to find her seat and she sat down making herself comfortable. She felt a bit lonely without Anna by her side, cheering excitedly for the boys. Her eyes skimmed the audience for Tia, but she was nowhere to be seen, so Elsa decided to just enjoy the game and cheer on her own.

An hour and a half later _The Guardians _had won and Elsa made her way out of the building. She found Jack's car and waited for him there. Her phone rang and, pulling it out of her bag, she saw it was Anna.

"_THEY WON!"_ her sister shrieked in the receiver, immediately after Elsa picked up.

Elsa chuckled. "Yes, they did."

"_Kristoff just called to tell me and apparently the whole team is celebrating after that, so he invited me to join him!" _Anna squealed in delight.

Elsa smiled, shaking her head a little. Her little sister was already head over heels for the large, shy man.

"_Unfortunately, Punzie overheard my conversation… ugh…"_ Anna continued with annoyance. _"Once she realized I was meeting up with the whole team, she wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to take her with. Anyway… You're coming too, right?"_

"Yes, I'll come," Elsa replied.

"_Okay, great! I'll see you soon then!"_ Anna chimed and hung up.

A while later Jack emerged from the sports hall together with some of his teammates. They stopped for a moment, discussing something, and, after reaching an agreement, headed in different directions. Jack smiled widely, when his eyes landed on Elsa, leaning on his Audi. She smiled back at him and shrieked, when he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in the air.

"We won!" he beamed at her and twirled her around, before he set her back down on her feet.

"Congratulations! It was a great game!" Elsa replied and stood on her toes to kiss him.

He grinned and let go of her. "Now it's time to get ready for a party," he said, opening the trunk and throwing his sports bag inside. They got in the car and Jack drove off in the direction of their home.

During their journey, they chatted about the game, Jack happily explaining every detail about their strategy and how it had worked out in their favor. Elsa watched him smile, as he navigated the car on the road. Her anxiety was growing with every minute that passed. She had to tell him about the baby, but she had decided to wait until they got home, so that they had the chance to properly discuss the situation.

Once they arrived home, Jack went straight in the shower, leaving Elsa alone with her anxiety. She sat quietly on the couch, trying to figure out exactly how to give him the news. She felt her heart race, when Jack walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled and approached her, drawing her into a hug.

"You look incredibly beautiful today," he said softly and kissed her lips.

Elsa pulled away and looked deep into his eyes. This was it. She was going to tell him.

"Jack, I… There's something… I need to tell you… I'm…," she started only to be cut off by his mobile phone ringing.

He looked at her apologetically and bent down to grab his phone from the coffee table.

"Yes?" he answered.

Elsa watched him jokingly throw insults at whoever was on the other side of the line. He laughed joyfully, his eyes twinkling like the ones of a kid at the sight of candy. Suddenly, the little courage she had mustered drained out of her. She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him that she was pregnant and that she wasn't sure she wanted to keep the baby. It would crush him. It would break his heart. She just couldn't do it.

"Okay… What time? Great I'll see you there soon," he ended the conversation and threw his phone on the couch, turning to look at her. "Sorry. It was Bunny. We're meeting up at the usual place in an hour, so we should start getting ready to go out. What did you want to say?"

"I… I just wanted to tell you that I'm not feeling very well and I don't think I can join you at the party," she replied, looking at her feet, mentally cursing herself.

Jack frowned and stepped closer to her. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I think I've eaten something that didn't quite agree with me and my stomach hurts a little," she replied softly, placing a hand on the stomach to exemplify her point.

"Then I'll stay home and we can relax, just the two of us," Jack said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Elsa lifted her head to look at him. She felt guilt pierce her heart, when she opened her mouth to speak again. "No," she said. "You should go and celebrate. Don't worry about me. I'm sure it's nothing. I'll just make myself a cup of tea and go to bed."

"Elsa…"

"Really, Jack, I'll be fine," she insisted. "Go and have fun."

He looked at her for a long moment, hesitating for a bit. "Are you sure?"

Elsa nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Okay," Jack replied with a sigh and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, before he went in the bedroom to get ready.

Half an hour later, Elsa stood leaning on the door frame of the living room, watching Jack put his shoes on. He grabbed his coat from the hanger by the front door and turned to her.

"I won't be long, I promise," he said and caressed her cheek.

"Don't worry, Jack. Just enjoy yourself, okay?" Elsa replied and stood on her toes to kiss him before he left.

* * *

Elsa found herself sitting in the couch with her face buried in her hands. She'd been staying like that since Jack had left two hours ago. Guilt gripped on her heart for lying to him like she had done. Ever since she'd first met him all these years ago, Jack had always been supportive of her. He would take care of her, protect her and make sure she was alright. He had always been by her side no matter what. If there was one person she could always rely on, it was him.

She couldn't believe how cowardly she had been for not telling him. She knew she was out of time. Bunny had been more that clear about his intentions and she was well aware that Jack would be very disappointed, to say the least, if he found out from somebody else, especially since she'd been hiding it from him for quite a while. He would feel betrayed.

No, _she_ had to be the one to tell him.

Her head snapped up and she jumped to her feet. Grabbing her phone, she called a taxi and headed out of the apartment.

She sat in the car silently praying Bunny hadn't told him yet. And if he had, she hoped Jack would understand her fears and reasons for not wanting the baby and be supportive just like he'd always had been. Or if he didn't agree with her, she hoped he would give her a good enough reason to keep it. In any case, she needed him. She needed him to be there for her and help her deal with this, no matter the outcome.

Arriving at her destination, Elsa paid the driver and stepped out of the car. She looked at the entrance of the pub and took a deep breath.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself and went inside.

She looked around the crowded, nosy bar, in search for Jack or anyone else she knew. She saw a few of Jack's teammates, waving large beer mugs in the air and singing some strange celebration song. It made her smile a little, as she continued to move further. Bunny was nowhere to be seen and neither were Anna or Kristoff. Elsa could only suspect the two of them were probably having a more private celebration at the moment.

And then she saw him – Jack – and froze, feeling her breath get caught in the throat. He was smiling and talking to somebody she couldn't see. Slowly she made a few steps forward shifting her view angle and trying figure out how to navigate through the crowd to get to him.

Now she could see that in front of Jack stood a girl, whom Elsa recognized as Anna's friend, Punzie. She was obviously intoxicated, struggling to keep her balance. She staggered to the side and was just about to fall, when Jack grabbed her and steadied her on her feet. But what Elsa saw next shocked her beyond belief.

She watched as the girl looked up at Jack, wrapping her arms around his neck, as he leaned down and kissed her.

Elsa gasped, clasping both her hands over her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears, as she stumbled backwards, turned around and ran out of the bar, clumsily bumping into a few people on her way out.

* * *

"Hey! Hey! Easy there," Jack said and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, preventing her from falling.

She lifted her half-lidded, misty eyes to look at him and, before he knew what hit him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing him to lean forward, as she slammed her lips against his. Jack's eyes widened in shock and he struggled to pull away.

"Wow! What the hell?" he said, looking down at her, once he managed to untangle himself from her grip.

"Don't you like me?" the girl slurred, staggering forward again.

"Okay, missy, I think you've had a bit too much to drink. Maybe it's time for you to go home," Jack said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to keep her steady, while his eyes browsed the room for Anna.

He spotted her together with Kristoff, sitting in a booth, hidden from view at the far end of the pub, and headed in that direction, carefully supporting the drunken girl.

"Aghem," Jack cleared his throat, forcing the couple to take a break from their heated make-out session.

Anna looked up at him, while Kristoff looked away blushing furiously.

"What?" she snapped, annoyed that he'd dared interrupt her pleasant moment.

Jack smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry to interrupt your fun, Anna," he said his eyes shifting between her and Kristoff. "But I think your friend here needs to go home. I mean, I know I'm incredibly handsome and she probably wouldn't be able to resist me even if she was sober, but I don't think kissing strangers in a bar is very appropriate for a young lady like herself."

Anna looked at the drunken girl by his side, who hiccupped loudly, and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, Jack," she said looking very embarrassed and stood up. "I shouldn't have brought her here. I'll take her home."

Glancing at Kristoff, Jack couldn't help but notice the other man's disappointed expression.

"That's alright," he said. "I can take her home. I was anyway planning to go back to Elsa soon."

"Really? Are you sure you're okay with that?" Anna asked, her face lighting up at the prospect of spending more time with Kristoff.

Jack nodded.

"Okay, here's the address," she said and scribbled the name and number of the street on a piece of paper. "I'll call her roommate, Merida, to tell her you'll be bringing Punzie home."

"Great, I'll give you a call once I drop her off," he replied and took the piece of paper out of her hand.

Jack winked at Kristoff, who mouthed a silent "thank you," and made his way out of the bar.

* * *

Elsa stood hidden in the shadow of a bus stop right outside the pub. She had been standing there for the past ten minutes, her arms wrapped around her small frame, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her heart was slamming painfully against her chest and she was unable to control her shaking body. She still couldn't believe what she had seen – Jack had kissed another woman… No, he'd kissed one of Anna's classmates – a girl almost 8 years younger than him.

Elsa was confused. All kinds of thoughts ran through her mind, as she tried to make sense of the situation. She was going to tell him she was pregnant. And in the past few days she had realized that a small part of her actually wanted to keep the baby. A part of her was willing to give up on her perfectly planned life and have _his_ baby. And he was cheating on her?

She was hurt. She felt betrayed. She felt as if somebody had shoved their hand inside her chest and ripped her heart out. It was so painful.

Suddenly, she heard Jack's voice calling a taxi and her head snapped up. She saw him open the door of the car and help the drunken girl get in before he followed her inside and the taxi drove off.

It was at that moment, when Elsa made up her mind.

* * *

**A/N: I'm a horrible person, aren't I? xD**

**I would like to note that I was struggling with coming up with a type of food that would be very disgusting and yet Jack would enjoy it. It was WickedgreenPhantom who suggested vegemite, which is something I hadn't heard of before that, and I added the tuna on top. Apparently that's a very bad combination :D  
**

**Anyway, I'd be happy to hear what you think about this chapter, so don't forget to review on your way out ;)  
Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, my loves!**

**Once again I have been such a lazy a$$ writing this chapter. Please forgive me for the delay xD**

**And as follows,**** ****** thanks to all who reviewed, favorited and followed my story!** I love you! **********

**********Before I continue, I would like to reply to a guest review really quickly:**********

********** Roshni: **********Thank you very much for your review! I'm happy you're enjoying the story so much! To answer your question - as you have probably already noticed, there isn't a particular day of the week when I update. Initially, I was trying to post the chapters on a weekly basis, but recently I haven't had as much free time to write. However, I'm hoping that I'll be able to post the next chapters without much delay :)

************I have to say I received many passionate reviews******** on the previous chapter, which really made me wonder how you, my wonderful readers, will react to all that's about to happen from here on. The drama has barely started :D****

**And now Chapter 12!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE  
**

CHAPTER 12

Elsa paced around the living room with her arms wrapped around her small frame, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had been like that for the past 30 minutes, her mind replaying what she had seen over and over again. She wasn't sure how exactly she had made it home. It was all a bit of a blur. Somehow she'd managed to stop a taxi and tell the driver where to go. He'd obviously noticed the distraught state she'd been in and asked her if she was alright. She hadn't replied, so he'd just driven her home without a second word. She didn't know if she'd given him the right amount of money, but the man hadn't protested and she didn't care anyway.

And now Elsa was in _Jack's_ apartment desperately trying to make sense of the situation she was in. She was 7 weeks pregnant with the baby of the man who, she'd thought, loved her more than anything. Or at least that's what he liked to tell her. Over the past week she'd realized that she wasn't completely indifferent to this baby and she'd decided to finally tell Jack about it and allow him to take some of the burden off of her shoulders and help her make the best decision. And just when she'd gathered enough courage to do so, she had seen him with another girl.

Elsa felt the hot tears fall down her face once more. She wondered if that had been the first time he'd done this… the first woman he'd cheated on her with. He'd always told her she was the most beautiful to him, the most important person in his life… Recently, he'd even started talking about marriage. Had he been lying to her all this time? Deceiving her in an attempt to make sure she stayed with him as a safety option? She felt sharp pain pierce her heart at the thought.

Her mind traveled back to all the things they'd been through together. All the times he'd been there for her. The only man she'd ever loved, the only man she'd ever _been_ with. The man who'd taken care of her for the better part of her life. All that they'd shared throughout these 14 years she'd known him… It was all gone in an instant.

Suddenly she stopped pacing and stared at nothing in particular.

This was it. The end of her relationship with Jack Frost.

Elsa was hurt and confused, but she had to figure out what to do next. Sitting down on the couch, she buried her face in her hands. The smartphone that had slipped between the cushions had gone completely unnoticed, as she closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure and clear her head.

She concluded that her best option for the moment was to go to Anna. Initially she had planned to keep the pregnancy a secret from her too, but she knew she could rely on her sister to help her out. She wanted to run to her right now, but she couldn't. Jack knew that she was at home feeling unwell, so if Jack came home and didn't find her there, he would start looking for her immediately and the first place he'd look would be Anna's apartment. And she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let him find out about the baby, not before she'd taken care of it and he wouldn't be able to use it as an argument for them to stay together. She had already gotten rid of the pregnancy tests, hidden in her studio, a few days prior. Now the only way Jack could find out was if Bunny told him and Elsa was certain Bunny hadn't done that yet. So, she still had some time.

She came up with a plan to pretend she was asleep and wait for Jack to come home and fall asleep with her beside him. Then she would sneak out and go to Anna. She considered calling her sister right there and then, but she knew that she would have to explain everything and Anna might try and change her mind about the baby. Also, from what she had seen, neither Anna nor Kristoff had been in the bar, so they were probably somewhere together and if she called Anna, she was risking Kristoff finding out about the whole situation and revealing it to Jack. So, she decided to go to Anna's place and if her sister wasn't there, her flat mates would let her in. Otherwise, she would just sit outside the door and wait. Then she would go to a private clinic and take care of the baby first thing in the morning and after that she would face Jack.

Letting out a loud sigh, Elsa stood up and surveyed her surroundings. She opened her handbag, took out her phone and switched it off. Then she grabbed her wallet and keys and, together with her phone, she stuffed them in the pockets of her winter jacket. She hung the jacket next to the front door and went in the bedroom. She took off the dress she was wearing and threw it in the laundry basket behind the door. Then she grabbed her bathrobe and went in the bathroom for a quick shower. Ten minutes later she returned to the bedroom and, opening the wardrobe, she pulled out clean underwear, a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater, she'd bought by mistake the previous year but never exchanged for a smaller one. She put them on and added a pair of warm socks, before she turned the light off and slid under the covers to wait for Jack's return.

She didn't know when she'd fallen asleep or how much time had passed since, but she was woken up by the sound of the front door being opened and closed. She glanced at the alarm clock on her bed stand – it was almost 2am. She heard Jack's footsteps drawing near the bedroom and her heartbeat quickened. She closed her eyes again just in time before he opened the door and walked in. Elsa felt anger rise within her. She wanted to get up and scream at him, hit him, ask him why he would do such a thing to her. But instead she remained silent and pretended she was sleeping.

Jack tiptoed around the bedroom. Carefully, he kneeled down in front of Elsa's side of the bed and looked at her. Lifting his hand, he brushed a few strands of stray hair off her face before he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Then he stood up and removed his clothes, leaving them on the back of a chair. He put on his PJ pants and a t-shirt and climbed on the bed careful not to wake Elsa up.

It took a lot from Elsa not to shudder at his touch. How dare he touch her and kiss her minutes after he'd been with another woman? The thought made her sick but she employed all her will power not to react and stay still until he'd fallen asleep.

It didn't take long for Jack's breathing to become even and Elsa realized he was sleeping. She peeked at the alarm clock – it was 2:15am. She decided to wait for a while longer to make sure he wouldn't wake up when she got out of bed.

Half an hour later, she decided she'd waited long enough. Slowly, she turned around and looked at Jack. He was lying on his back, his chest rising and falling in a steady pace. His features were relaxed, his lips slightly parted. Her vision blurred from the tears that had started forming in her eyes. Clasping a hand over her mouth to prevent any sound from coming out, Elsa closed her eyes shut, forcing the tears away. She still found it hard to wrap her head around everything that was happening.

Carefully, she climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the door. Trying her best not to make a sound, she opened it and, with one last look at Jack's sleeping form, she sneaked out of the room. She walked briskly out of the living room, grabbed her boots and jacket and opened the front door as silently as possible, before she slipped out of the apartment and pulled the door shut. Luckily, she didn't have to wait for the elevator, as it seemed Jack was the last person to use it. She slipped in and pressed the button for the underground floor, where the parking lot of the building was located, knowing that the night-shift porter of the building would probably be at his post and she couldn't risk him seeing her. Once the elevator doors closed she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and tried to push all thoughts about Jack to the back of her mind and focus on the task at hand, namely to get to Anna's apartment as fast as possible. She dropped her boots on the floor and slipped her feet inside, pulling the zippers closed before she put her jacket on as well.

A minute later the elevator stopped and the doors opened, revealing to Elsa the dimly lit parking lot. For a second she regretted refusing Jack's offer to buy her a car. She looked around and noticed the emergency exit she was looking for. Quickly, she walked towards the door and pressed the handle and, just when she was about to push the door opened, Elsa stopped. She could feel her heart beating fast. Was she making the right decision? Could she be wrong about Jack?

No, she knew what she had seen in the bar. She still had burning in her mind the vivid image of Jack kissing that girl, Punzie.

Elsa took a deep breath and shook her head. With that she opened the door and exited the building.

She shivered, when the cold winter air brushed against her cheeks. Zipping up her jacket, she looked around and realized it was snowing. She watched, as the snowflakes moved gracefully under the light of the street lamps. Elsa felt a small smile spread across her lips. She loved the snow – it made everything look so clean and peaceful. The distant sound of a police siren brought her back to reality and the smile vanished from her face. She looked around. Apart from a car parked nearby the main entrance of the building, the street was completely empty. She turned around and started walking quickly towards the main street, hoping that she'd be able to either catch one of the night buses or stop a taxi. Absorbed by her thoughts, Elsa failed to notice that the car now had its headlights and engine on.

A few minutes later she reached the main street and took a turn to the right, heading for the closest bus stop. Once she arrived, she checked the schedule, noting with disappointment that the next bus will be coming in no less than 20 minutes. She wondered if she should stay and wait for it but decided that she couldn't risk it. The bus stop was too close to Jack's apartment building and she couldn't risk anyone noticing her. So, she decided to continue walking and try to stop a taxi on the way. She started walking again, every now and then throwing glances over her shoulder to see if any taxis were coming her way. Unfortunately for her, at this time of night there were barely any cars going even on the main street and she started wondering if she'll manage to catch a taxi at all.

Elsa walked for a while, focused on the road ahead of her, thinking about how she would explain all this to Anna, when she heard the sound of a car's engine very close to her. She glanced to the side, noticing a the car moving at pretty much the same speed as she herself was and her heart skipped a beat. She started picking up her pace, frantically looking around to for a safe place – a bar, a non-stop convenience store… anything, when somebody called her name.

"Elsa? Elsa, is that you?" a male voice called out from the car and caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

She turned around and realized the voice was coming from the car that had been following her for the past 10 meters. For a moment there, she thought that car looked familiar. She wondered if it wasn't the same car she had just seen in front of the apartment building, but quickly dismissed the thought, when the car pulled up right next to her and the man who'd called her leaned forward so she could see him through the open window. She squinted, trying to make out who he was.

"H-Hans…?" she finally asked, her eyes widening in shock.

Of all people, Anna's ex-boyfriend, Hans, had been the last person Elsa expected to encounter in this situation, setting and time of the day. She hadn't seen him or heard anything about him ever since Anna had broken up with him and he'd been kicked out of the university almost 2 years back. She had actually thought he had moved away.

"Hi… What are you doing here, wandering the streets alone at night?" he asked and what surprised Elsa was that he sounded genuinely concerned.

"I…" she started not knowing how exactly to reply.

He looked at her frowning with worry. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She blinked, trying to gather her thoughts. "Yeah," she replied. "I'm just… I'm going somewhere."

"Would you like me to give you a lift?" Hans asked.

"No… That's… That's okay," she stuttered.

He remained silent for a moment, the look of concern never leaving his face. "Listen," he started again. "I know we've had our… disagreements in the past, but… even _I_ wouldn't leave you wandering the streets alone, at night, in the snow, especially since it's obvious to me there's something bothering you. So, let me give you a lift to wherever you're going."

Elsa looked at him, considering his offer. He was right – it was 3am, it was cold and snowing and she was alone. He had also guessed correctly – she was definitely not alright. She looked around to see if there was any sign of a bus or a taxi, but the street was completely deserted with the exception of Hans' car. Then she looked ahead in the direction of Anna's apartment. She estimated that on foot in this weather she would need more than an hour to reach it. And she had to face the fact that the city wasn't exactly the safest place at night.

She looked back at Hans, who offered her a small smile. It was true that he had been a complete jerk to her sister and he had broken her heart. But as he had pointed out, this was in the past and right now he was offering to help. It also seemed she didn't really have a better option.

"So?" Hans asked her once more.

Elsa hesitated for a moment. She didn't have to tell him where exactly she was going. She could tell him to drop her off at the university. From there it was a ten-minute walk to Anna's place.

She sighed. "Can you please drive me to Arendelle University?"

Hans smiled. "Of course, hop in," he replied.

Elsa reached for the handle of the passenger's seat door. The moment her fingers touched it, something told her she shouldn't get in the car.

But she ignored it.

* * *

**A/N: I'm wondering how many of you remember Chapter 6... :D**

**I'm waiting for your reviews! ;)  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again, my wonderful readers!  
**

**I just keep on apologizing for the delayed updates,** but do nothing to speed up my writing process. I've just been so lazy recently xD  
****

********** So, ever**ybody ****who reviewed, favorited and followed my story and also waited ****************patiently ****************for this chapter deserves a BIG thank you! As a reward for your patience, I have planned another angsty one-shot :)** **************

****************That said, here comes Chapter 13!****************

****************WARNING: There's mild violence and strong language ahead. ****************

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 13

Elsa sat in the passenger's seat of Hans' car with her forehead leaning on the cold surface of the side window and her arms wrapped tightly around her tense frame. She was absentmindedly looking out the window, as the scenery went by, her eyes lingering on nothing in particular. Time passed in complete silence and Elsa was grateful that Hans hadn't tried to start a conversation. Her thoughts kept on wandering back to the events that had taken place a few hours previously. The image of Jack kissing that girl was still burning in her mind. And she still couldn't fully comprehend what exactly she was doing at the moment. Running away from the man she loved, wanting to get rid of his baby before breaking off their relationship… It all seemed so unbelievable, so surreal to her. Her life, her perfectly planned life, had turned upside-down in an instant. She felt lost, her mind clouded and confused.

But somehow even in this mess she was in right now, there was one piece that really didn't fit - Hans' sudden appearance. She hadn't seen him ever since Anna had broken up with him which was almost two years ago. It was more than strange that he would appear out of the blue exactly, when she needed a ride, not to mention the circumstances and time of night. She'd been so distressed that she hadn't even stopped for a second to properly assess the situation before getting into his car.

Suddenly Elsa snapped back to reality and realized that quite a bit of time had passed and they still hadn't arrived at the university. She knew from experience that it would take Jack not more than 10 minutes to drive her there from home and a glance at the electronic watch on the dash of the car told her that she'd been spacing out for at least 15 minutes. Elsa looked out the window again and her eyes widened in shock.

"This is not the way to the university," she whispered softly, turning to look at Hans.

She watched in horror as a sly grin spread across his lips. Her heart started beating faster, her mind racing through all the terrible things that could happen from this moment on.

"You know, Elsa," he started in a low voice. "You're very, very hard to get to. You're always either with your naïve sister or with that cocky boyfriend of yours and they both are so protective of you. I had to stay inside my car outside of your apartment building and follow you around for _months _before I finally got the opportunity to approach you."

"Stop the car!" she said firmly, unbuckling her seatbelt, but he didn't comply and just smirked at her. "I said STOP THE CAR!" she yelled and grabbed onto his arm, making him lose control of the wheel.

"You stupid bitch!" he grumbled, frowning.

In his anger he abruptly turned the steering wheel to the right, causing Elsa to fall back in her seat and hit her head hard against the window. Elsa gasped, when her head came in contact with the glass and the world went dark, as she slipped into unconsciousness.

A few minutes later she started coming around. She groaned, when she felt the throbbing pain in the back of her head.

"…Yes, I'm bringing her now," she heard Hans' voice, which sounded as if it was coming from far away.

Her eyes cracked open, just in time to see him put his phone away. She tried to straighten up but she felt dizzy and sick to her stomach.

"Oh, you're awake?" he said glancing at her. "Good. We're almost there."

"What do you want with me?" she asked woozily, rubbing the back of her head.

"Me?" he smirked, glancing at her. "I want nothing. I'm just a delivery boy."

Elsa gathered all her strength and stood straight, despite the dull pain in her head and the sickness she was feeling that remained. She glared at him, even though it was hard for her to focus.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, determined to find out what was going on. "Who do you work for?"

Hans smirked and glanced at her. "You'll find out soon enough."

Elsa felt fear and anxiety rise within her. She had no idea where she was, where she was being taken or to whom. She was scared of the worst and she had to do something about it. Gathering all her courage, she carefully reached for the smartphone in her pocket. Her fingers wrapped tightly around it and she looked up at Hans, carefully observing him, as she slowly took the phone out. Once it was out of her pocket and secured in her hand, Elsa took a deep breath, lifted her arm and, using all her might, she hit Hans on head with the corner of the phone.

"FUCK!" He screamed in pain, as he instinctively hit the brake and turned the wheel to the side, making the tires screech.

The moment the car came to a halt, Elsa pulled the small handle on the door in an attempt to open it, only to realize it was locked.

"No!" she muttered, violently pulling on the handle, desperately trying to get out.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Hans yelled, grabbing her by the hair and yanking so hard that she fell back into her seat.

"Let me go!" Elsa shouted, struggling against him with all her might, when he tried to grab her hands.

"I thought you were the quiet one but you're worse than your sister," he said through gritted teeth, as he finally managed to secure her wrists in one of his hands before slapping her across the face with the back of his free hand.

For a brief moment Elsa stood still, trying to overcome the initial shock and the stinging pain, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Then suddenly she started struggling against his tight hold once more, determined to get herself out of the car. She was leaning her back against the door, her legs on the seat, as she tried to push him away, kicking against him, when he leaned forward out of the driver's seat.

"You're such a pain in the ass!" Hans growled, trying to force his weight onto her, attempting to block her movements.

He moved one of his legs up to kneel on his seat, allowing himself to tower over her and push her down, at which point Elsa saw her golden opportunity and took it. With all the force she could muster, she sent her knee right between his legs, which caused him to yell in pain and instantly let her go to hold onto his crotch, as he sat back in his seat. Without losing any time, Elsa located the button that unlocked the doors, pressed it and pulled the handle, swinging the door open. She had just stepped out of the car, when Hans grabbed the back of her jacket, pulling her backwards. Luckily, she managed to react quickly, unzipping her jacket and swiftly sliding out of it. And then she ran for her life.

"FUCK!" she could hear him yell, but she didn't look back.

She just kept on running, praying that by some miracle somebody would appear on the deserted streets and help her. She felt the cold air fill her lungs, choking her a little, making her insides hurt. She could feel the strain in her legs. But she didn't stop. She just used all her willpower to go on.

Elsa realized that she had no idea where she was, but in the distance she could see the street lights of what seemed to be a boulevard much larger than the street she currently was on. Her heart filled with hope, employing all her strength to keep on going. Panting, she failed to hear the running footsteps, approaching from behind her. She had just turned around the corner, where the street intersected the boulevard, when someone grabbed her sweater from behind and pulled her backwards, with so much strength that she stumbled and fell to the ground. She yelped in surprise and hit the cold pavement, wincing in pain, when the sand and dirt bruised her skin.

"Did you seriously think you could run fast enough?" Hans yelled and in his anger and frustration sent his foot in her back, before bending down and trying to force her into a standing position, kicking her sides, when she refused to move. "Get up!"

Elsa gritted her teeth in pain, but she remained on the ground. 'Protect his baby!' was the only thought that went through her mind, as she instinctively hugged herself, her body curling up to shield her stomach from Hans' rage.

"I said GET UP!" He yelled louder and he kicked her again.

"HEY!" Elsa heard somebody yell in the distance, just when she'd thought all had been lost, and the assault suddenly ceased.

"Damn it!" she heard Hans say under his breath, as he backed away and started running.

Then she heard another pair of footsteps drawing near, and a short moment later somebody kneeled next to her.

"Miss!" a male voice called and a hand grabbed her by the shoulder, turning her around to lie on her back. "Are you okay? MISS!"

Elsa didn't respond. She had no strength to even open her eyes too look at her savior. She opened her mouth to try and respond but nothing came out. Slowly, she started slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard was the man calling an ambulance.

* * *

Jack stirred awake, turning to lie on his side, stretching out one arm to hug Elsa, only to have his arm fall on the cold, empty bed. He opened his eyes, frowning a little, lifting his head off the pillow to look around the empty bedroom. He glanced at the alarm clock on Elsa's bed stand and, seeing it was already 11:00 am, he figured she must have woken up a long time ago. He relaxed his head on the pillow for a moment, rubbing his eyes, before he decided to get up. Sighing, he got out of bed and stretched his limbs. He yawned widely and pulled on a t-shirt, before he turned to walk out of the bedroom, dragging his feet along the floor. He opened the door, expecting to see Elsa curled up on the couch with a book or her laptop, but she wasn't there. He went out of the bedroom and walked to the kitchen area, peeking his head around the corner, but Elsa wasn't there either.

"Elsa?" he called but there was no response.

Shrugging, he figured she was probably in her atelier, working and listening to music. It hadn't been the first time he would call her and she wouldn't hear. He went in the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash up. Then he headed up the spiral staircase leading to her studio. He smiled mischievously, at the thought of sneaking up on her and surprising her with a hug and a kiss, but opening the door he frowned, seeing that the studio, much like the rest of the apartment, was also empty.

"Hm, she must have gone out…" he said to himself and went downstairs again, deciding he should just call her.

He looked around the living room, trying to find his phone. He'd accidentally left it home the previous night and he had no idea where exactly. After not seeing it anywhere, he tried to remember the last time he'd used it. He remembered talking to Bunny and then… throwing it on the couch. Jack walked to the couch and started lifting the cushions, finally finding the phone stuck in between two of them. Straightening up, he noticed it was off and pressed the button to switch it on.

"Out of battery…" Jack muttered to himself, as he went to the cabinet they had in the living room and shuffled through one of the drawers, finally pulling out his charger.

He plugged it in and turned the phone on. He was just about to dial Elsa's number, when the doorbell rang. Jack left his phone on the table and went to open.

"Bunny?" he said surprised, moving aside to let his friend in.

"Hey mate," the large Australian replied, walking in. "Sorry to turn up unannounced like this."

"That's alright, you know you're always welcome," Jack said, closing the door and walking towards the kitchen. "Coffee?"

Bunny followed him in, looking around the apartment a bit nervously. "No thanks," he said and paused before he spoke again. "Is Elsa around?"

"Nope, I woke up and she wasn't here. She's gone out somewhere. I was actually just about to call her, when you came," Jack responded from the kitchen, and a minute later came back with a mug of coffee.

"She has?" Bunny asked, a worried expression creeping on his face.

Jack looked up at him and frowned, noticing the uneasiness in his friend's eyes. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Bunny looked at him for a long moment, hesitating if he should speak or not. In the end, he made up his mind.

"Listen, mate," he started. "There's something you should know…"

Jack narrowed his eyes, somehow feeling a bit nervous. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not gonna like what you have to say…?"

Bunny sighed, ignoring his question, as he continued. "It's really not my place to tell you this, but I've kept it a secret long enough and I've given Elsa the chance to tell you herself, which clearly she hasn't done. But I really think you deserve to know about it and… I gotta tell you before she goes and does something stupid that's gonna cost ya both too much. I just can't let that happen."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked confused and took a sip from his coffee.

Bunny took a deep breath. "Elsa's pregnant, mate."

Jack choked on his coffee and started coughing, spitting some of the liquid on the ground. Bunny quickly took Jack's cup out of his hand and placed it on the table, handing him a napkin and patting him on the back.

"W-What!?" Jack finally managed to say, after catching his breath.

Bunny opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Jack's phone ringing.

"Hold that thought!" Jack ordered and reached to take his phone. Briefly looking at the caller ID, he picked up. "Anna hey, now's really no-… What?... Wait, calm down, I don't understand what's you're saying… Wha-… Kristoff hi! What's going on?"

Bunny watched as Jack's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh my God!" Jack breathed. "I'm coming! I'll be right there!"

"What's wrong?" Bunny asked, when Jack hung up.

Jack looked up at him, his face pale and terrified. "Elsa's in the hospital…"

* * *

**A/N: Please don't hate me! In my defense, I really didn't enjoy writing this chapter :(**

**But now you have some more insight on what's going on. And also Jack finally found out about the baby! Let's just hope it's not too late...**

**I tried my best to tone down the violent scene and not be very descriptive. I know this website has strict policies about that, so I'm hoping the story won't be taken down or something...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review on your way out! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello again, my loves!**

**I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting for so long and I thank you for you patience! The reason I took so long with this update is that I kinda lost my writing mojo for a while and, as a result, experienced some difficulties writing. And, in my defense, this is the second longest chapter in this story xD**

************** Also, thanks to all who reviewed, favorited and followed my story!** I love you! ************

**Before you start reading, I would like to say that I've gone through and edited the previous chapters - nothing major, just typos and grammar errors. But I have also made a few other changes. When I first started writing this story, I decided to use the original names of the characters. But as I read more stories, I noticed that many of my fellow writers are coming up with names of their own. So, since this is an AU, I decided to do the same. Below you can see the changes I've made:**

**Ean Aster "Bunny" Mund **(Bunnymund)

****Tia "Tooth" Wang ****(Toothiana)

**Edward "Pitch" Black** (totally stole 'Edward' from WickedgreenPhantom's awesome story "Cold Rivalry", with her permission, of course)

**Another name I changed was Rapunzel's. I'm going to refer to her as Punzie from now on.**

**I would also like to give special thanks to my friend **VenusKnight** who surprised me with the beautiful fanart that is currently a cover image for this fic! *hugs***

**This said...**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don****'t own any of the characters or their respective stories. I own nothing! Damnit...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 14

No sooner had he hung up the phone than Jack received a text message listing the missed calls from the hospital. He knew that he and Anna were Elsa's emergency contacts, which immediately led him to believe something bad had happened to Elsa.

Jack didn't waste any time. He didn't even bother to change out of his PJ pants, before he slipped his sneakers on and grabbed his jacket off the hanger, as he and Bunny exited the apartment and went into the elevator.

"We're taking my car," Bunny stated firmly, watching as Jack fidgeted with his car keys, his hands trembling. "You're in no condition to drive, mate."

Jack looked up at him and nodded, nervously running a hand through his hair and exhaling loudly, just as the elevator doors opened to let them out. They exited the apartment building and hurried towards Bunny's Nissan, parked on the side of the street. Getting on, they buckled up and Bunny started the engine, driving off in the direction of hospital Elsa was admitted to.

Bunny navigated the car through traffic, occasionally glancing at Jack, who was biting and chewing on his lower lip, frowning, as he looked out of the window, shifting his position every few seconds, obviously eager to get to the hospital faster.

Noting how stressed out his friend was, Bunny felt the need to say something, anything. "It's going to be alright, mate," he finally spoke, frowning a little at what he'd said.

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?" Jack snapped, turning to face him. "'Cause I, for one, don't have a fucking idea what's going on right now!"

The truth was that, even though Bunny was sincerely hoping for it, he didn't know if things were going to be fine. He could only imagine how confused and terrified Jack must be feeling at the moment. He'd just found out his long-term girlfriend, the woman he considered the love of his life and was planning to marry, was pregnant. Worse yet, he'd learned this not from her but from his best friend and hadn't even had time to react to the news, because he'd been informed that his pregnant girlfriend was currently in the hospital. Bunny didn't even want to think what could be passing through Jack's mind right now. Sighing, he chose not to reply. Instead he focused on the road, determined to get his friend to the hospital as fast as he could.

Jack just looked out the window again, rubbing his forehead with the tip of his fingers, trying desperately to make sense of the situation he was in now. To say his mind was a mess would be understatement. He was overwhelmed by the news he'd received and he wasn't exactly sure how to react. He'd always imagined that discovering he would be a father would be the happiest moment in his life. Yet somehow he wasn't feeling happy at all at present, mostly because he had imagined that, if Elsa got pregnant, it would be _her_ who would tell him about it and not his best friend. But it wasn't just that. There was something in the way Bunny had presented him with the news of Elsa's pregnancy that felt terribly alarming. Why would Elsa not tell him she was pregnant? How long had she known and how did Bunny come to find out? More importantly, why had Bunny decided to get involved in all that and tell him?

Too many questions plagued his mind, begging to be answered, but he had no idea which one to ask first. And to top it all, something had happened to Elsa and had landed her in the hospital and he had no idea if she was alright. He was terrified of all the possible scenarios swimming in his mind, which added to the sickening feeling he had in his stomach.

Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shook his head a little, trying to push all these thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand, which was getting to the hospital and finding out what had happened to Elsa and what her condition was.

Ten minutes later they reached the hospital. As soon as Bunny pulled up in the parking lot, Jack jumped out of the car and sprinted towards the entrance of the building, running through the automated doors with Bunny on his heels. Once in the lobby, he looked around. A few meters away he spotted Kristoff, who had his arm wrapped around Anna's shoulders, while talking to a shorter, dark-haired man.

"Anna!" Jack shouted, hurrying towards them.

"Jack!" Anna breathed, stepping away from Kristoff, and flung her arms around Jack's neck, letting out a small sob. "Oh God, Jack!"

Jack hugged her back for a brief moment, before he pulled away, holding her by the shoulders, as he looked in her tear-filled eyes. "Anna, what's going on? What happened to Elsa? Why is she in the hospital? Have you seen her? Is she alright?" He blurted out.

Anna didn't reply. She was too shocked and distressed to reply. She just brought a hand to her mouth to muffle yet another sob that escaped her lips. Seeing how distraught Anna was, Jack felt his stomach drop, fearing the worst. He looked up desperate for answers, his eyes shifting between Kristoff and the other man.

Kristoff sighed, reaching to pull Anna back in his arms, as she buried her face in his shirt. "Unfortunately, we haven't seen her and we have no news of her condition either. We arrived a bit before you and Bunny. We…um… " Kristoff faltered, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, staring at the floor, wondering how exactly to express himself. "We spent the night at my place," he stated, looking up again, blushing slightly. "And this morning Anna got a call from the hospital, informing her that Elsa had been brought in during the night. We got the call around 11 am and Anna called you immediately after. Apparently, since you were listed as Elsa's first emergency contact, they tried calling you first but your phone was off, so they called Anna."

"Yeah… I… It was out of battery," Jack stammered, running a hand through his hair. "But do you know what happened to her?"

Kristoff took a deep breath. "Jack…" he started, glancing at Bunny before looking back at Jack. "Elsa… She's been a victim of assault."

"What!?" Jack said, his eyes widened in shock, his breath getting hitched in his throat.

"Shit," Bunny muttered under his breath.

"Jack, this is Flynn, Flynn Rider," Kristoff said, gesturing towards the young man. "He's the person who brought Elsa to the hospital."

Jack turned to look at the dark-haired man. "Jack Frost," he introduced himself and extended his arm, briefly shaking the other man's hand.

"I know who you are. I'm a big fan of _The Guardians,_" Flynn said, nodding and, noticing Jack's uneasy expression, he decided to cut to the chase. "As I was just explaining to your friends here," he started, gesturing towards Anna and Kristoff. "I was going home from a party at around 3:30 am…

"Wait, hold on a second… 3:30 am?" Jack interrupted, lifting a hand to pause the man's story. "That's not possible. I… I came home last night at 2 am and Elsa was asleep in our bed… What would she be doing out at 3:30 am?" he asked doubtfully, shaking his head.

"Let him finish the story, mate. You don't even know what he was gonna say," Bunny said calmly, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack nodded and looked at Flynn, waiting for him to continue.

Flynn looked confused for a moment, but then proceeded with the story. "So, yeah, then I saw a guy brutally kicking a woman, who was lying on the ground, curled into a ball," he said and Anna let out another sob, making Kristoff tighten his hold of her. "I called out to him and started running in their direction. Then the guy turned, saw me and ran away into one of the smaller streets. I went to the girl and turned her over to see if she was alright, but she didn't respond and, a second later, lost consciousness. I immediately called an ambulance and insisted to ride with her, because I wanted to make sure she was alright. The paramedics were checking her vitals and looking for any sort of ID. But besides the clothes she was wearing she didn't have anything on her. No phone, no wallet. Nothing."

"She had no ID on her?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes.

Flynn shook his head. "She wasn't even wearing a jacket," he replied.

Jack turned to look at Bunny, who matched his worried expression. "How did they found out who she was then?" he asked.

"I recognized her," Flynn stated matter-of-factly. "Once we were inside the ambulance, where there was more light, I realized she looked familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it at first, but then it dawned on me that I had seen her sitting in the VIP seats at hockey games and then I remembered that there was a point, when my teenage sister had a crush on you and wouldn't shut up about you and your girlfriend. She would constantly show me the latest paparazzi photos of the two of you in gossip magazines. Thanks to my sister's droning though, I managed to remember your girlfriend's name and gave it to the paramedics. Once we arrived at the hospital and they wheeled her in the emergency room, I knew they weren't going to give me any information about her condition because I wasn't an emergency contact or a relative. So, I decided to wait until somebody came for her. "

"Thank you," Jack said with a small nod. "For everything that you've done."

Flynn gave him a small smile. "Don't mention it," he replied. "I'm just glad I was in the right place at time. I'd be happy to help with anything I can, telling what I just told you to the police as well and all that…"

Jack blinked, overcome by a sudden realization. "Have you actually notified the police?" he asked, turning to look at Anna and Kristoff.

Kristoff shook his head. "We wanted to wait for you, Jack," he said. "I mean, getting a call that Elsa is in the hospital must have been shocking enough. I don't know how you would have reacted if you came and you found the police here…"

Jack nodded. "Okay, I'll call them," he stated, taking his phone out.

He turned away from the group, making a few steps, rubbing his forehead, as he made the call reporting the assault on Elsa. A few minutes later, he returned to where his friends and Flynn were standing.

"They are gonna be here soon," he said, looking over at Anna, who was still pressed against Kristoff's chest, but seemed to have calmed down a little.

"Flynn," Bunny spoke, attracting the younger man's attention. "You never said anything about the guy who attacked Elsa. Did you manage to see how he looks? Can you describe him?"

Flynn shook his head. "Unfortunately, I was too far away and the light from the street lamps was just about enough for me to only recognize what was going on. I'm sorry," he replied.

"Nothing to be sorry about, you've already done a lot," Kristoff assured him. "Hopefully, Elsa will be able to describe him… once we get to see her and talk to her."

Hearing Kristoff's words, Jack felt his stomach drop. He'd been so focused on finding out what happened to Elsa and why she was in the hospital that he hadn't stopped for a moment to actually _think_ about _her_. He looked up, his eyes scanning his surroundings. Doctors and nurses were running around, patients were being rushed in various directions. He wondered if somebody was finally going to come and inform him of Elsa's condition. He was desperate to know if she was alright… if the baby was alright.

His thoughts were interrupted, when he noticed the two police officers who had just walked in. Quickly, we walked over to them and introduced himself, saying he had been the person who had reported the assault. He led them to the rest and quickly explained the situation, giving them the opportunity to ask questions. Everybody had told them what they knew about the case and they were currently listening to Flynn, who was once again recounting what he'd witnessed and done.

"Ms. Anna Andersen?" a voice came, causing Jack, Anna, Kristoff and Bunny to turn around.

A few meters away from the group stood a doctor holding a clip pad, looking in their direction.

"That's me," Anna replied, as she freed herself from Kristoff's embrace, wiping the tears from her eyes, and started walking towards the doctor, with Jack following suit.

"And who are you?" the doctor asked, looking at Jack.

"My name's Jack Frost. I'm Elsa Andersen's other emergency contact," he stated, watching as the man nodded.

"How is my sister, Doctor?" Anna asked, her voice pleading, her eyes searching the doctor's face for answers.

Jack frowned, observing how worried and stressed out Anna was. Gently, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him, directing his attention back at the doctor and waiting for his reply.

The man sighed, flipping through the pages clipped to his pad. "Fortunately, Miss Andersen's injuries are not very serious," he reported calmly, looking up at Anna and Jack. "We had x-rays done on her, which showed bruising to the ribs, but no fractures. She has suffered a minor injury to the head and, as a result, has a mild concussion. Her lab results just came through and showed elevated white blood cell count, which is most likely caused by the few cuts and the bruises she has sustained. Luckily, Miss Andersen hasn't suffered any injuries to the abdominal area, so the baby is fine," he said and Jack let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Anna looked at the doctor in surprise. "Baby? What baby?" she asked, her eyes darting between him and Jack.

"Your sister is pregnant," he said. "Seven weeks along to be precise."

Anna gasped, turning to look at Jack. "Did you know about this?"

"I did," Jack confirmed.

In reality he did know, even if he'd found out barely two hours ago. He watched as Anna opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the doctor.

"Are you the father?" he asked, looking at Jack.

Jack nodded. "Yes," he replied, unable to ignore the faint tingling sensation he'd felt, hearing himself say that.

"I see… We've performed a pelvic examination and, fortunately, there was no evidence of sexual assault," the doctor said, flipping another page on his clip pad.

"Oh, thank God!" Anna breathed.

"We also did an ultrasound, which showed that the baby hasn't been harmed. Also, so far, it seems to be developing perfectly well. However, since Miss Andersen is still in the early stages of her pregnancy, nothing is certain, especially after going through physical trauma. Unfortunately, we still can't exclude the possibility of miscarriage. Therefore, given that she's pregnant and was brought here unconscious, we would like to keep her under observation for two nights. Currently, we can't administer any painkillers, so we're giving her only fluids and we're also monitoring the activity of the baby, just to be sure everything is going well," the doctor explained. "We've just moved her to a room. She's awake, if you would like to see her."

"Yes, please, yes!" Anna exclaimed, nodding vigorously, her eyes rimmed with tears.

"Follow me then," the doctor said and turned to walk away from the waiting area with Anna following close behind him.

Jack glanced at Bunny and, noticing his friend was looking at him, he nodded and turned to walk away, following Anna and the doctor. A minute later, the doctor stopped in front of a door and turned to face them.

"We've got Miss Andersen settled here. Take your time, but keep in mind that she needs to stay calm and rest. Try not to upset her," he said and walked away.

They watched him go and glanced at each other, before Anna pressed on the handle and opened the door. The moment they walked in the room, Anna gasped, clasping her hand over her mouth.

"Oh Elsa!" she breathed, rushing towards the bed.

Jack made his way in, closing the door. He watched as Elsa's bloodshot eyes opened tiredly and she groaned a little at the offensive sunlight coming through the window. It took her a moment to focus. She looked at her sister for a second and then, realizing there was somebody else in the room, she scanned her surroundings and her eyes landed on him, widening in what he recognized as panic.

He remained standing by the door with his arms folded over his chest. His eyes lingered on hers before shifting to inspect her image. His jaw tightened, when he noticed the faint red marks on her pale skin, which served to prove that whoever had attacked her must have hit her hard across the face. He shifted his gaze downwards, looking over her bandaged forearms. Then he glanced over at the IV, where the saline solution was dripping slowly into the small tube, connected to the venflon in Elsa's arm. The next thing he noticed were the electrodes attached to Elsa's exposed stomach. They were plugged into what, he guessed, was the electronic fetal monitor the doctor was explaining about. The apparatus was printing out a line graph that Jack couldn't quite make out from where he was standing, but he sincerely hoped it did not indicate anything he should be worried about. His insides clenched into a ball at the thought of what could have happened to Elsa if this man, Flynn, hadn't been there to intervene.

"How are you feeling, Elsa?" Anna said in a soft, soothing voice, as she positioned a chair close to the bed and sat down, carefully taking Elsa's hand in hers.

"Anna…" Elsa murmured, her voice quiet and hoarse. She tried shifting her position a little, but winced in pain and gave up.

Anna furrowed her brow and her worried eyes scanned her sister's body. "No, don't push yourself. The doctor said your ribs are bruised," she said, gently resting her other hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Oh Elsa, we heard what happened. The guy who called the ambulance told us what he'd seen. What were you doing out at three in the morning!?"

Jack continued to stand in his spot by the door, silently watching, as Anna shot sentence after sentence, not giving Elsa the time to react to anything she said, let alone reply.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter right now. The important thing is," Anna continued, her expression softening, "that you're alright. Both you and the baby."

At these words, Elsa gasped. Her eyes widened, flicking over to Jack, staring at him in horror. He, however, did not move a muscle and simply continued to look at her, his face conveying no particular emotion.

Anna smiled warmly, obviously oblivious to her sister's distress. "When were you going to tell me, Elsa?" she asked and, letting go of Elsa, she clapped her hands together. "This is such exciting news!" she exclaimed happily, seemingly forgetting about the assault. "Why have you two been keeping it a secret?" Her gleaming eyes moved from Elsa to Jack and she frowned, her happy expression changing to one of reproach. "Jack! Why are you just standing there!?"

Jack sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. He glanced at Anna, before his eyes settled back on Elsa. "Anna… Could you please give us a m-" he started only to be cut off by a knock on the door followed by one of the police officers poking his head in the room.

"Excuse me," he said, slowly making his way inside, followed by his colleague. "We're sorry to disturb, but we were told that Miss Elsa Andersen is awake, so we would just like to quickly ask her a few questions."

Jack moved out of the way to let them in, which caused Anna to frown.

"I'm sorry but I don't think that's a good idea," she protested standing up, her eyes darting between Jack and the police officer s. "My sister is tired and scared… She's still in shock. Can't this wait until she feels better?"

"We understand," the police officer said calmly. "However, it is better to ask the questions now, while the incident is still fresh in your sister's mind. I know it might seem bit heartless and inconsiderate but it is the better option. This will only take a minute, I promise you."

Jack glanced at Elsa, who seemed even more terrified than before. Given her emotional and physical state, he wondered for a moment if he should let the police question her. He knew that she had to stay calm and rest, for hers and the baby's sake. However, on the other hand, he too needed some answers.

Sighing, he turned to the police officers and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Jack!" Anna exclaimed. She opened her mouth to object but he gave her a cold, stern look and that silenced her.

"Miss Andersen," one of the police officers addressed Elsa, attracting her attention, while the other took out a small notebook and a pen, ready to take notes. "Can you please tell us what exactly happened?"

Elsa gulped, licking her dry lips. "I… I…" she stammered nervously.

"Anything that you can remember would be helpful," the man said reassuringly.

She closed her eyes and brought a hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. She stayed silent for a minute and then she let out a breath and opened her eyes again. She looked at Jack for a long moment before focusing her attention on the police officer questioning her.

"I really don't remember much," she replied. "Everything is a bit of a blur."

Jack watched, as the police officer nodded in acknowledgment, and briefly wondered if the sudden confidence with which she had spoken wasn't a sign that she was lying.

"Do you by any chance remember anything about the person who attacked you?" the officer asked. "Anything that could help us identify him?"

"Yes, I do. I know him," Elsa said boldly, causing everybody in the room to look at her in surprise. "His name is Hans Westerguard."

"Wait… WHAT!?" came Anna's loud and shocked response, as both she and Jack stared at Elsa.

"Do you know this man?" the police officer asked, turning to look at her.

"He's my ex-boyfriend," she said frowning.

"Have you had any altercations with him?" the man continued with his questioning.

Anna puffed out a bit of air, rubbing her brow. "Um… apart from the fact that I dumped him and he ended up being kicked out of university, not really, no. But that happened almost two years ago and his expulsion wasn't really my fault."

"That doesn't matter," the police officer responded. "It could still be a motif for an act of revenge." He turned around to look at his colleague, who nodded, making sure he was writing everything down. "Alright, Miss Andersen, I have just one more question for you," he said, looking at Elsa. "Can you please explain what you were doing wandering the streets alone at night?"

Jack's gaze returned to Elsa, as the police officer asked a question he himself really wanted to hear the answer to. He watched, as her short-lived confidence seemed to disappear, giving way to panic once more. Her eyes landed on him and he could see her struggling to come up with a good explanation.

"I… I… uh…" Elsa stuttered, her eyes darting between the police officer and Jack, who cocked an eyebrow, waiting with interest to hear her response.

"What's going on here?" a stern voice came from behind them and they all turned to look at the door, where a nurse stood with her hands on her hips.

"We were just asking Miss Andersen a few questions regarding the assault on her," the police officer replied.

The nurse frowned, making her way into the room. "This poor girl has been through so much in the past few hours. She needs to relax and sleep. Not to mention that any undue stress she experiences is fed to that baby she's carrying. I'm sorry but I'll have to ask you to leave," she demanded and the police officers nodded, heading for the door. "_All_ of you," she added, looking at Anna and Jack.

Anna sighed in defeat. She turned to Elsa and took her hand again. "I'll come by tomorrow to see how you are doing. Try to get some sleep now," she said and leaned down to kiss her sister's forehead. "I promise to bring you some chocolate," she whispered in her ear then straightened up and winked at her.

Elsa gave her a weak smile and watched her following the police officers in the hallway. Then she glanced at Jack who didn't say anything. With one last look at her, he simply left the room, pulling the door shut.

Once in the hallway, the police officer who'd interrogated Elsa spoke to him. "My advice to you, Mr. Frost, is to have Miss Andersen file a report," he said. "It is good that she could give us the name of the culprit, but it would be nice to have more details regarding the whole incident."

Jack nodded. "I'll take her to the station as soon as possible. Thank you for being so quick to react to my phone call," he said, shaking their hands and bidding them goodbye.

He watched them leave and headed for the waiting area with Anna following close behind.

"Why did you let them question her? Didn't you see the state she was in?" she scolded, as they walked down the hallway. "Not to mention that you didn't even ask her how she felt! You just stood there by the door like an idiot! It was like you didn't even care! Aren't you worried about her? About the baby?"

Jack didn't answer.

"What in the world is wrong with you, Jack!?" Anna fumed, angry at his silence.

That last part caused Jack to stop abruptly and turn to look at her, just as they entered the waiting area, where Bunny and Kristoff were still standing. His reaction was so sudden that Anna almost bumped into him, the look in his eyes making her flinch.

"You wanna know what's wrong with me?" he snapped, earning himself a few stares from passing-by patients and hospital staff. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. Last night my girlfriend tells me she isn't feeling well and I want to stay home with her. But she convinces me that I should go and celebrate my team's victory and so I listen to her. I go to the bar to have a drink with my teammates and get kissed by a drunk university student. Then I decide to play the nice guy and take the girl home, so that my girlfriend's little sister can have a good time with her new boyfriend. I do that and then, having left my phone at home by accident, I head back to the bar to assure my girlfriend's little sister that her classmate is safe and sound. All this causes me to arrive home much later than what I have intended. So, I get home, I find my girlfriend fast asleep and I join her in bed only to wake up the next morning to an empty apartment, my girlfriend nowhere to be found and my best friend knocking on my front door to tell me that my girlfriend is pregnant. I don't even get a chance to react to the news because my girlfriend's little sister calls me to tell me that my girlfriend has been taken to the hospital. So, freaking out of my mind with worry, I go to the hospital to find out that my girlfriend has been wandering the streets alone at night and has gotten herself physically assaulted by no other than her little sister's ex-boyfriend, all this happening with me peacefully asleep and blissfully unaware. To top it all, I realize that my girlfriend, the love of my life and the woman I intend to marry, not only omitted to tell me she is pregnant, but has also clearly been hiding it from me for a while. _That's_ what's wrong with me, Anna," he spat and glared at her, before he continued walking, brushing past Bunny and Kristoff and heading for the exit of the hospital.

Anna stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to say. Kristoff walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"He needs some time to cool off," Bunny said to them. "I'll give him a ride home."

"Yes, make sure he's alright," Kristoff said.

Bunny nodded. "I'll see you later, mate. Take care of Anna," he replied and with that he followed Jack outside.

* * *

Hans looked around one more time, making sure nobody was following him, before he entered his apartment building and headed up the stairs. Reaching his apartment, he unlocked the door and walked in. Without a moment to spare, he went in the bedroom, grabbed his sports bag front under the bed and started filling it with his most important possessions. He'd screwed up badly and he had to act fast.

He'd spent the past several hours circling the building making sure nobody had been following him. After his plan had failed and the Andersen sister had been saved by that self-righteous idiot, he'd panicked. He'd ran back to his car and driven off in a random direction, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and that bitch. It had taken him half an hour to calm down and start thinking straight. Then he'd decided that the best course of action was to go back to his place, collect his valuables and get the hell out of there, before they came looking for him.

"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath, as he took out his secret stash of money and stuffed into the bag.

The Andersen sisters. It was all their fault.

It hadn't taken him long to entice Anna Andersen, after he'd found out about the inheritance her parents had left to her and her sister. He had to admit that making her fall for him had been only too easy. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't been careful enough and soon she'd caught him cheating on her. She'd dropped by his dorm room unexpectedly and caught him in bed with one of her classmates. And then she'd gone and dumped him. After that, inspired by Anna's actions, some other girl had become all confident and brave and had reported him to the Dean, claiming that he'd blackmailed her into having sex with him, which had gotten him expelled. Upon hearing about the case, his father had kicked him out and he'd been forced to make his own living. At first, he'd tried the obvious options – fast food restaurants and cafés – but feeling that such work was beneath him and not at all profitable, he'd started looking for something that would give him at a faster pace the money he required to keep his high living standards. And so he'd ended up doing other people's dirty work. It had been small, but risky jobs that paid well, usually delivering packages with unknown contents to people whom you wouldn't want to meet under any circumstances.

Then, a few months ago, he'd been contacted about a bigger job. He was aware that the person who'd contacted him had been just an intermediary, so technically he didn't know who'd hired him. But he'd been only too happy to take the job, when he'd heard that it involves Elsa Andersen. He'd considered it his perfect opportunity for revenge.

The problem was he'd been too quick to celebrate his success. He'd called his employer, telling him he was bringing the bitch, but she'd run away and he'd failed to deliver. What's worse was that she knew him and surely she was going to report him to the police. He was aware that his employer wasn't going to be happy about it, to say the least, because whatever this person's intentions and plans for her had been, they were now ruined.

So, now he could only imagine that he would soon have a few thugs on his heels. And that's why he had to move fast.

Shoving his laptop into the bag as well, Hans looked around his apartment. He concluded that he'd taken everything that he needed or deemed valuable, so he decided to leave. Rushing out of the apartment, he pulled the door shut and headed down the stairs, towards the back door of the apartment building. He'd figured that it might be a good idea to keep away from the main streets and open spaces, thinking that it might help him stay out of sight for a while. Precisely for this reason he was completely taken by surprise, when a pair of large hands grabbed him from behind, restraining his movements and causing him to drop his sports bag, while another pair of hands pulled a sack over his head.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Hans yelled, struggling in vain to free himself from his captor's strong grip.

"Shut up," one of the men grumbled, as they dragged him away in an unknown direction.

"HELP!" Hans called, hoping that somebody would hear him and come to his rescue, only to have one of the men shove a fist in his stomach, causing him to bend down and cough.

"I said shut the hell up!" the same man growled again.

A minute later he heard a car door being opened and soon the two men pushed him inside the car without a warning, sitting on both his sides. And then there was silence, disturbed only by Hans's nervous, heavy breathing. He tried to look through the bag covering his head but discovered with disappointment that the fabric was too thick and he could see nothing through it. He had virtually no idea where exactly he was and in whose company, though he felt it was pretty reasonable to suspect it was the person who'd hired him to kidnap Elsa. But the only trace of information he had was the strong, stale smell of cigarette smoke.

"Mr. Westerguard," said a calm, smooth voice with a subtle British accent. "Fancy meeting you here. I don't suppose you have something for me…?"

Hans felt his breath get hitched in his throat, as he struggled to think of what to reply, though he reckoned he didn't have many options. "I… uh… I…"

"Just as I thought," the voice said again and suddenly Hans felt the strong grip on his arms again.

"No, please! I can explain!" he cried and the grip loosened.

"Oh, pray tell! I'd love to hear why I got news last night that my goods will be delivered, only to be kept waiting for the rest of the night, ending up empty handed," the voice said, still just as smoothly.

Hans' mind raced trying to figure out how to get himself out of this situation. "She… she managed to run away… but I can get her again!" he said, painfully aware that he didn't sound very convincing. "Please! I promise you I can get to her again and bring her to you!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Westerguard, but, unfortunately for you, I don't think I'll be taking you up on that offer," the voice said and Hans felt the two men take hold of him once again, before the car door opened. "Deal with him."

"No! Please! You have to let me try again!" he cried, but one of the men clasped a large hand over his mouth, muffling his screams, as he dragged him out of the car.

The last thing Hans heard was the sound of the car driving off. Then something hit him hard on the head and he sank into oblivion.

* * *

**A/N: So, how's that? :D**

**I would like to thank **Arialene** who gave me some insight on the medical stuff I've included in this chapter :)**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone! I hope you've been doing well :)**

**Once again I've taken long to update, for which I apologize. I would like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews, the favs and follows, as well as your patience :D**

**Now, without further ado, I give you Chapter 15!**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don****'t own any of the characters or their respective stories.  
**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 15

The ride from the hospital back to Jack's apartment building was silent. Bunny would occasionally glance worriedly at Jack, who was staring out the window, frowning as he absentmindedly chewed on his bottom lip. Bunny could only imagine what a mess it was in his friend's mind at the moment with the news he'd received that morning and everything else that had happened in past few hours. Judging from Jack's outburst in the waiting room earlier, he had realized Elsa had been hiding her pregnancy from him. He wasn't sure if Jack had confronted her about it or not, but either way Jack had walked out of the hospital pretty shaken up. Bunny wanted to talk to him and help him in any way he could but he felt that it might be a better idea to let Jack figure things out for himself first.

Carefully, Bunny pulled up in the free parking spot in front of the apartment complex. He switched the engine off and sighed, resting his hands on the steering wheel. Then he waited patiently. A minute later, Jack exhaled loudly and shut his eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"How did you know she is pregnant?" he said in a tired voice and turned to face Bunny.

Bunny quickly re-ran in his head how he'd come to find out about it and looked at him. Then he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. "I um…" he started. "I saw her throw up."

"What!? When?" Jack asked again, raising his eyebrows in surprise. The doctor had said that Elsa was seven weeks along and, even with his little knowledge on pregnancy, Jack knew that by now she should be experiencing morning sickness. Yet, he had witnessed no signs of that. So, he wondered how on earth his friend had.

"The morning after New Year's," Bunny replied and, noting Jack's confusion, he continued explaining. "I woke up quite early… well, before everybody else, so I thought I'd go out for a breath of fresh air. I'd just opened the front door and stepped on the porch, when I saw Elsa hurling over a bush a few meters away. I called out to her and she was quite startled to see me there. She started telling me that she'd had too much to drink the night before and that the food hadn't agreed with her. The problem was I'd noticed she hadn't had any alcohol and she'd barely eaten anything too. So, it didn't take much to figure out it was morning sickness."

Jack frowned and looked away, trying to process what Bunny had just told him. "So you've known for ten days?" he finally said. "Did you also know she's been hiding it from me?" Bunny nodded and Jack scowled. "Then why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked in frustration.

"Because it wasn't my business to tell you, Jack," Bunny answered. He paused, staring at Jack for a moment. Then he sighed and opened his mouth to speak again. "Look, you're my best mate and I'll always look out for you. You know that. But this isn't something I should get involved in. This is between you and Elsa. She… I'm not saying that what she did was right, but she does have her reason to-"

"Oh really? And what might that be?" Jack interrupted him angrily. "What could possibly be a good enough reason for my girlfriend of five years to hide from me that she's pregnant?"

Bunny sighed. It pained him to see Jack so confused and angry and he desperately wanted to tell him everything he knew. But this wasn't his story to tell. He'd already overstepped the border by telling Jack that Elsa was pregnant and he'd only done it because he'd been worried that she might end up doing something stupid, which apparently in the end she had tried to do anyway. He frowned, running a hand through his dark hair, deciding that he should give Jack at least a bit of information to think through until Elsa was out of the hospital and he could question her about the whole issue himself.

"The reason why I told you only now was because I wanted to give Elsa the chance to tell you herself," he said calmly. "When I confronted her about her morning sickness and asked if you knew, she explained to me why she hadn't told you yet…"

"And why is that?" Jack insisted.

"I think you should ask her," Bunny stated.

"OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE! TELL ME!" Jack yelled, causing his friend to flinch. Seeing this, he blinked, shocked at his own outburst. Letting out a loud sigh, he leaned back in his seat and buried his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes a little, before he looked up again. "I'm sorry…" he apologized, his voice quieter and calmer this time. "It's just that today has been too much. I'm confused and worried sick and I… I just keep on thinking that, if I'd known, she wouldn't be in the hospital right now…"

"It's okay, mate," Bunny said reassuringly and rested a hand on Jack's shoulder. "You have all the rights to be angry. But you need to understand my reasons for not telling you anything more. I could tell you everything I know but I think it would be best if you discuss things with Elsa. I'm sure you two will work it out. You always do."

Jack closed his eyes for a brief moment and let out a loud sigh. Then he looked out the windshield of the car. "I truly hope so…" he said, his eyes looking at nothing in particular.

"You will," Bunny repeated. "But right now you need to calm down. Go take a shower and relax for a bit. You've had a rough morning and you need some time to think things through. Then tomorrow you can go visit Elsa again and maybe you'll be able to talk to her in peace."

Jack shifted his eyes to look at him. "Yeah," he breathed, nodding, and then opened the passenger's door. "Thanks, mate, for everything."

"No need to thank me, Jack. It's the least I can do for you right now," Bunny replied, as he watched Jack climb out of the Pathfinder. "Call me if you need anything. Tia and I are always happy to help."

Jack nodded in appreciation and pushed the door shut. He watched Bunny drive off and then entered the building, heading for the elevator.

Upon entering the apartment, he kicked off his shoes and threw his jacket on the hanger. Then he walked in the living room and paused, looking around, unsure of what to do. His thoughts and emotions were a complete mess and there were so many things he needed explained that he couldn't focus on anything in particular. He put a hand on his hip and brought the other to his forehead, rubbing it, as he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. A moment later, he dropped his arms to his sides and sighed tiredly, deciding that the best course of action would be to listen to Bunny and try to relax. There was a lot to take in and stressing over it wasn't doing him any good. He took a deep breath and headed for the bathroom. He removed his clothes and threw them in the laundry basket next to the shower cabin. Then he went in the shower and turned the tap, adjusting the water temperature. Once it was warm enough, he stood under the sprays and closed his eyes, letting himself relax, the warm water trickling down his tense muscles. His thoughts traveled back to the events from earlier that morning, as he struggled to wrap his mind around the whole situation.

Everything seemed so bizarre that he didn't even know where to start. Elsa was pregnant and, judging by the fact that Anna had also been surprised about it and by what Bunny had just told him in the car, she'd been hiding it not only from him but from everybody. Bunny was the only person who'd known about it and he'd found out by accident. Furthermore, Bunny had found out ten days ago and decided to let her deliver the news herself. Yet, she hadn't said a word. She couldn't have been able to keep it a secret for too long, given that it was bound to start showing eventually.

That made him wonder if there had been any obvious signs of Elsa's pregnancy he'd failed to notice. Bunny had told him he'd witnessed her morning sickness, yet Jack had not once seen anything that would hint to it. It was true he'd been busy with training for the game but he still couldn't believe how Elsa had managed to conceal something like this. Furthermore, at seven weeks her body would have definitely undergone some noticeable changes, so how come he hadn't observed anything?

And then it dawned on him that they hadn't been intimate with each other since before they had gone away for the holidays, his last attempt to start anything with her being on Christmas, when she had pushed him away, saying her period had come unexpectedly. Jack sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. He'd known there had been something strange about her behavior that evening. Not to mention that, ever since then, Elsa had been avoiding physical contact with him. He'd been too tired from practicing to pay much attention to this but now it all made sense.

However, he still couldn't fathom why she had kept the pregnancy a secret even after Bunny had found out. Surely, she'd known Bunny was going to reveal it sooner or later, if she'd refused to do it herself.

'Could it be she thought I wouldn't want the baby?' Jack thought, but quickly dismissed that theory, shaking his head.

Elsa of all people knew how much he wanted to have a family. He'd bought an engagement ring and had been waiting for the right moment to propose. He'd even started talking about marriage. He couldn't ignore the fact that she had reacted sharply to the idea, but he also didn't believe the possibility of Elsa doubting his desire to have kids. But the panic he'd seen in her eyes, when she'd realized he knew about the baby, baffled him. There was something that didn't quite add up and he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Jack took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, leaning forward, his hands flat against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall. Remembering seeing Elsa lying in the hospital bed, covered in bruises, caused his insides to clench into a ball. He felt guilty for acting so cold towards her, for not saying anything to her, but he'd been too confused and overwhelmed mentally and emotionally to even come up with the right things to say. That had been the first reason why he'd agreed to the police questioning her.

The second had been that he needed answers. He wanted to know what had happened through the night, because to him everything seemed too surreal. No matter how he looked at it, he just couldn't understand what Elsa had been doing out at three in the morning, wandering the streets alone. He'd seen her sleeping, he'd kissed her good night and fallen asleep next to her. When had she snuck out of the apartment? And more importantly, why? Not to mention that the whole deal with Hans assaulting her was so strange. How had Elsa stumbled upon her sister's ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night after not seeing him for two years? And why the hell would he assault her? Surely, the guy held a grudge against the two sisters, but what could he possibly gain from beating Elsa up, especially considering that she would recognize him and report him to the police? Jack tightened his jaw at the thought of that asshole laying his hands on Elsa and causing her pain. He vowed to crush the guy's every bone into dust next time he saw him. That was certain. However, his priority right now was to ensure Elsa and the baby were alright and safe.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. Until this point, he'd been so stressed from everything that had happened in such a short time that he hadn't had the chance to really _think_ about the baby. When Bunny had told him Elsa was pregnant, he'd acknowledged it as a piece of information but it hadn't actually sunk in for him. Not until now.

"I'm going to be a father…" Jack whispered to himself, his words drowned by the sound of pouring water.

A small part of him was steadily growing inside of Elsa, slowly developing into a baby girl or a baby boy. He didn't know how it was possible, given that she had been taking contraceptives, but that wasn't important. What _was _important was that in about seven months from now he would be holding his son or daughter in his arms and that child would rely on him and Elsa for care, guidance and protection. And Jack was ready to provide all that and more until his dying breath.

"I'm going to be a father!" he repeated this time louder and a wide smile spread across his lips, butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

With that he quickly finished showering and exited the bathroom.

* * *

**A/N: I felt that I should give Jack the opportunity to think things through, since the poor baby had a lot going on in the previous chapter.**

**Now, some promotion time: My dear friend **WickedgreenPhantom** has recently posted some nice Jelsa one-shots, so I recommend you go check them out, if you haven't already. Also, her chaptered story **_Silent Voices_** is definitely worth reading ;)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I'm looking forward to your reviews! Till next time :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi guys!**

**Thanks for all reviews, favs and follows! :)**

**Friendly reminder: **This story is above all about romance. Also, if you feel in any way confused about the plot, feel free to refer to the description. Hopefully, that would clarify things.

**That said, I present to you Ch. 16 :)**

****DISCLAIMER:**** I don****'t own any of the characters or their respective stories.****

**ENJOY!**

* * *

****GIVE IT A CHANCE****

CHAPTER 16

Elsa's eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times until she had adjusted to the light in the room. She groaned softly, when she felt the pounding in her head, and brought a hand up to rub her forehead. The doctor had warned her about the headaches, telling her they were a normal consequence of the concussion she'd suffered, but she hadn't imagined it would be that bad.

Once the pulsating pain had become a dull ache, Elsa turned her attention to her surroundings. She glanced at the clock on the wall opposite of her bed, noting it was almost 7pm. It felt somehow surreal how quickly time had passed. Right after Anna and Jack had left, the nurse had brought her lunch, which Elsa had refused to eat, feeling sick at the mere thought of any kind of food. However, the nurse had been very persistent, telling her that, while she might not want to eat, the baby needed its nourishment, and had stayed in the room until Elsa had eaten some of the soup and a bit of toast. Luckily enough, the food hadn't stirred her gag reflex. She'd spent the rest of the afternoon slipping in and out of sleep, the last time she'd been awake being when the nurse had brought her dinner an hour earlier and once again insisted on her eating.

Elsa sighed. Even though she'd managed to get some sleep, she felt exhausted and every part of her body seemed to cause her some sort of pain whenever she moved. She'd had to sit up in the bed in order to eat and that simple movement had required more than a lot of effort and she'd ended up gasping for air, when she'd felt the bolt of pain shooting through her sides. From what the doctor had explained, her ribs had been severely bruised, but thankfully not fractured, the only other injuries she'd suffered being skin bruising on her forearms and the concussion, which seemed to be the biggest problem at the moment. Apart from that, he had told her that she'd not experienced any trauma to the abdominal area, which meant there was little risk for the baby. Even so, they'd still attached a fetal monitor to her, just to make sure everything was fine.

She glanced down at the electrodes attached to her abdomen and followed them to the machine they were connected to. It was printing out a line graph, the meaning of which she couldn't decipher, but the thought of there being something wrong made her stomach drop. Suddenly, she found herself desperate to know what the condition of the baby was… if it was alright.

A knock on the door distracted her and she turned her head to see the doctor making his way in.

"Good evening, Miss Andersen," he greeted with a smile, taking the clipboard holding the information of her condition from its place at the foot of the bed. "I would like to check up on you one last time before my shift is over. How are you feeling?"

Elsa tried to give him a smile, albeit a weak one. The man had been awfully nice and attentive to her all day. "A bit better," she replied in a raspy voice. "I feel pain in my sides, when I try to move my body but I guess that's normal. It's the headache that's really bothering me."

The doctor nodded, browsing quickly through her file. "Headaches caused by a concussion are quite bothersome indeed. Unfortunately, I can't give you any pain killers. We have to be very careful with anything that we administer to your system, because it can harm the baby. And we want this little one to come out healthy and happy," he said smiling kindly at her.

She nodded slightly and watched as he stood next to the fetal monitor, carefully inspecting the graph it had been printing out and making a few notes on her file.

"I- Is everything alright with the baby, Doctor?" Elsa asked, failing to ignore the nervous feeling rising in her stomach as she anticipated his answer.

The doctor finished writing and looked up at her, smiling. "There's nothing to worry about, Miss Andersen. Your baby is doing fine, great, in fact," he reassured her. "Normally, in situations like this, where pregnant women have been victims to physical assault, there is a high risk of miscarriage or premature labor. Fortunately, not in your case. So, rest assured, there's little risk for your baby right now. The only reason we're keeping you here for observation is that we want to be absolutely certain."

"I understand," Elsa replied. "Thank you."

"Everything looks good so far, so I'll be leaving you to rest. I will come by again tomorrow morning. Good night, Miss Andersen," the doctor said and opened the door to leave.

"Good night," she answered and watched him walk out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Elsa exhaled heavily, bringing a hand to cover her eyes. She couldn't believe how in less than 24 hours her life had turned completely upside-down. The man she loved and trusted more than anyone had betrayed her. In her confusion and anguish, she'd run away from him, determined to abort his child in an attempt to hurt him as much as he'd hurt her, after which she would have put an end to their relationship and moved out of his apartment, cutting all ties. To make things worse, her hormones and distress had taken the better of her, letting her trust somebody she would normally avoid to the best of her abilities, which had ultimately landed her in the hospital.

She groaned, mentally kicking herself for being so naïve to trust Hans to be genuine in his intentions and nice enough to help her out. Moreover, never for one second had she not considered it strange that the man who'd previously broken her sister's heart and she hadn't seen for two years would show up out of nowhere, in the middle of the night, to offer her help exactly when she needed it. She should have known better than that. What bothered her even more, however, was the fact that apparently he had been trying to take her to somebody and Elsa couldn't help but wonder who and why.

Frowning, she tried to backtrack and recall what exactly had happened. She hadn't been lying to the police earlier, when she'd said her memory was a bit fuzzy – most likely a result of her head injury and the shock she'd been in. All she remembered clearly was that her attacker was Hans and that she hadn't stumbled upon him by accident. She was well aware that she should have told everything she remembered to the police officers, when they'd come in to question her, but the fact that Jack had been right there had stopped her. The problem wasn't only that Hans had practically kidnapped and assaulted her. The problem was that all this had happened because she'd run away from Jack in the first place.

The thought of Jack made her stomach sink. "He knows," she whispered to herself, her eyes widening as she recalled the events of the day.

Until this moment she hadn't really had the chance to think about what had happened in the room, when Anna and Jack had showed up earlier. And what had happened was that Jack now knew about the baby. What seemed to trouble her more, however, was that there was something very strange about his behavior. Elsa wasn't sure exactly how he'd found out – if it was the doctor who'd told him, because surely the doctor had informed him and Anna of her physical condition, or perhaps Bunny had delivered the news – but that was of no importance at the moment. She remembered how recently he'd mentioned marriage, asking her if she'd ever thought about starting a family with him. He'd been upset, when she'd told him she didn't think it was the right time yet. She'd always known that Jack wanted to get married and have children. He was great with children and he was very dedicated to the ones attending his and Bunny's hockey school. Still, Jack hadn't displayed any emotion whatsoever at the news that she was pregnant. The Jack she knew would have been exhilarated, yet he hadn't even spoken to her. He'd just stood by the door, expressionless, and looked at her in a way she hadn't been able to read.

Elsa took a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the tears threatening to fall, as the explanation for Jack's attitude slowly started to take shape in her confused mind. She realized that he was most likely puzzled by the fact that the previous night he'd fallen asleep next to her only to wake up the next morning with the news that she was in the hospital. That much was clear. But he _had_ also cheated on her. There had been a brief moment, a split second, when she'd wondered if it was possible she was wrong, but she'd been quick to dismiss it because all evidence pointed against Jack. When she'd gone to the bar the previous night, she hadn't seen Anna, Kristoff, Bunny or Tia. Neither of her and Jack's friends had been there and that had given Jack the perfect opportunity to act upon any carnal desires he might have had, which he obviously had taken advantage of when he'd kissed that drunk girl and then gotten into a taxi with her. Furthermore, Jack had no idea Elsa had seen him do all this, so for him as far as she was concerned he loved her. So, why hadn't he tried to act like it? Why hadn't he at least pretended to care? And then the answer came to her.

'Because he doesn't love me anymore,' she thought and her heart clenched into a ball, the hot tears falling freely down the sides of her face. 'And he doesn't want the baby either…'

At that, a small sob escaped her dry lips. She opened her eyes and turned to look at the fetal monitor, which was still printing out its line graph – the only information she had of the condition of the baby. She frowned. Mere hours ago she had been determined to have an abortion and now she was longing to know if the baby was doing well. She couldn't ignore the relief she'd felt when the doctor had told her there was little to worry about. As a matter of fact, he'd repeatedly stated that in cases when pregnant women had suffered blunt trauma there was a high risk of miscarriage, but in her case the chances were very slim. She couldn't help but wonder why, since Hans had evidently done a number on her.

Suddenly, her eyes widened, as the memory of his assault started to clear up. After Hans had caught up with her, she'd fallen to the ground and, in his frustration, he'd started kicking her and then her body had acted on its own accord, curling up and shielding her abdomen. She had protected the baby…

Elsa turned her head and looked down at her stomach. Hesitating for a moment, she gently placed her hand on top of it. There the small life was growing, its survival depending entirely on her. A life that she and Jack had created together.

…Jack, who for the first time since she'd met him 14 years ago, wasn't there for her.

Her heart sank, as she looked at the barely distinguishable baby bump. She was so confused and alone. She had no idea what was going to happen next in her life and that terrified her. Everything was one huge mess and, no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't see a way to fix it.

Elsa felt the bitter tears stinging her eyes again. She made an attempt to blink them back but before she knew it she was weeping, clasping her hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs. She cried until her eyes dried out and her throat was sore, until she was too tired to even think. Then she succumbed to sleep.

* * *

_Elsa stirred from her sleep. She felt something soft and slightly wet underneath her. She opened her eyes. Blinking she sat up and looked around, realizing she'd been lying on dew covered green grass. The grass was tall, preventing her from seeing much further, so she carefully stood up and, dusting herself off, took another look around. Her eyes widened, when she saw a man in the distance, his silver hair tousled by the gentle breeze._

"_Jack…" she whispered under her breath._

_The man turned around and Elsa gasped, covering her mouth with both her hands. Gently cradled in his arms was a baby, a beautiful baby. Elsa felt butterflies in her stomach, as Jack looked up at her and smiled. She made a step forward, wanting to go to him, but the moment she moved from her spot the sky suddenly became dark. _

"_JACK!" she screamed as thick mist started appearing, hiding him from view. _

_She started running towards where he had been standing, but the mist filled her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. That was when she realized this was no mist but cigarette smoke. She fell to her knees, gasping for air. It was so hard to breathe!_

* * *

Elsa's eyes flew open and she blinked, blinded by the light in the room. It took her a second to realize there was something covering her mouth and partially her nose, although she was still able to sense the unmistakable smell of stale cigarette smoke. She reached up trying to pull the thing away from her face, when she realized it was somebody's hand and froze, her eyes widening as she finally managed to focus and saw the large gorilla-like man to whom the hand belonged.

"Ah, Miss Andersen, you're awake," a smooth voice said.

Elsa's heart skipped a beat and her eyes darted in the direction which the voice had come from, landing on a man she recognized as Edward Black, who was casually sitting on a chair close to her bed, flipping through the clipboard holding her medical file.

"It wasn't very easy to find you, Miss Andersen. After my…" he said and paused for a second, as if looking for the rights words, "business associate, Mr. Westerguard, failed to deliver on his side of the deal, I had to pull some serious strings to locate you again. And imagine my shock when I found out what that man had done to you."

Elsa continued to stare at him in horror, her heart racing, as he returned his attention to her file.

"Oh, it says here you're pregnant. That's such wonderful news!" he exclaimed, grinning at her. "Mr. Frost must be so excited. I hear he's great with children. Oh, but now he'll have to be extra careful playing hockey. After all, he wouldn't want to get severely injured… you know, with a baby on the way," he drawled.

Elsa frowned. Was that terrible man threatening Jack? Gathering some courage, she tried to pull the large hand off her face, once again unsuccessfully, which caused her to moan in frustration. She looked at Edward Black, narrowing her eyes, and watched as he gestured to his gorilla to let go of her.

"I wouldn't scream if I were you," he warned her. "The shifts are currently changing, so there is barely anyone around anyway. So, don't waste your breath."

Once free, she coughed, trying to catch her breath. "What do you want from me?" she said hoarsely.

"Please, Elsa… can I call you Elsa?" he said slyly, making her cringe with disgust. "I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

She narrowed her eyes even more, furrowing her brow. She was just about to respond, when the door opened and a nurse walked in, pausing when she saw the two men in the room.

"Who are you? What are you doing in here?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "It's 7 am. Visiting hours don't start until 10 am."

Elsa's eyes flicked between the nurse and the men, but before she could react, Edward Black stood to his feet, making a step forward.

"I'm Elsa's uncle," he said, nodding his head. He glanced at Elsa, daring her to say anything in protest, but the look in his menacing yellow eyes had her paralyzed with fear. "When I heard she had been admitted to the hospital, I couldn't wait to come and see how she was. Do accept my apologies for not respecting the visiting hours but I was very worried. You see, she's like a daughter to me."

His eyes flicked to Elsa again, his lips curving upwards ever so slightly. It was making her sick. She wanted to yell, to tell the nurse to call the police, but something told her that would only make matters worse. She remembered Jack's coach saying how Edward Black wasn't somebody to be messed with. So, she remained silent, deciding to play along with his act, praying he would leave.

The nurse glanced at Elsa and the back at the man. "I understand, Mr….?"

"Black, Edward Black," he replied.

"I understand your concern, Mr. Black. It's admirable you care so much for your niece that you disregard hospital policy. However, I will have to ask you to leave now," the nurse said, walking further inside the room. "Miss Andersen will need to be examined again soon."

"Of course," he nodded and then turned to Elsa. "Get well, my dear, and give my regards to Jack."

With one last sly smile, he exited the room followed by his bodyguard, leaving Elsa alone with the nurse.

* * *

**A/N: I hope this chapter sheds more light on Elsa's actions and reasoning.**

**Looking forward to your reviews!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi everyone!**

**Thanks for all reviews, favs and follows! :)**

**I'm sorry for not updating for such a long time, but I haven't had much time to write in the past couple of months. This is also the reason why I haven't been replying to reviews either.**

**So, thank you for being patient with me and here's the new chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own any of the characters or their respective stories.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**GIVE IT A CHANCE**

CHAPTER 17

Jack pulled up in the hospital's parking lot, turned the engine off and relaxed in his seat with a heavy sigh.

After he'd gone back from the hospital the day before, he'd asked Bunny to take charge of the hockey school for the afternoon and he'd stayed home with the intention to rest. However, contrary to his plan, he'd spent the remainder of the day trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Needless to say, his efforts to figure it all out had been of no avail and he was still clueless as to what exactly was going on. All he knew for certain was that Elsa had been trying to hide her pregnancy from everybody and that for some unknown reason she had gone out after he'd fallen asleep and had stumbled upon Hans, who'd then landed her in the hospital. He couldn't help but feel frustrated that he didn't know the details surrounding this strange situation and angry for being kept in the dark about Elsa being pregnant, because, no matter how he looked at it, he just couldn't grasp why she wouldn't tell him something like this. Although, he'd be lying if he said it hadn't occurred to him that perhaps Elsa wasn't worried that _he _wouldn't want the baby but it was she who didn't want to keep it. However, he'd been quick to push that thought away, convinced that Elsa would never make such a decision – one that concerned both of them equally – without discussing it with him first. Yet, he was eager to talk to her and clear things up. He'd considered going to the hospital before the official start of the visiting hours in hopes he'd be able to talk to her in private before Anna showed up. After careful consideration, however, he'd decided against it, aware that he needed to give Elsa enough time to physically and mentally recover from the shock of recent events. Another reason had been that, knowing Anna, she would most likely have arrived at the hospital much earlier than him anyway. Though, the fact that he had to wait to get answers added even more to his annoyance.

Jack glanced at his watch, noting it was ten minutes to ten. He'd received a call from Bunny earlier, asking if it would be alright to for him and Tia to pay Elsa a visit. Naturally, Jack had agreed, hoping that Tia's cheery attitude would brighten up everybody's day, and he'd asked them to meet him in front of the hospital. Sighing, he got out of the car and headed for the entrance of the building.

"Jack!" a familiar voice called and he turned around to see Bunny and Tia walking briskly towards him. A few seconds later, Tia had wrapped him in a hug.

"How are you, Jack?" she asked and the sympathetic look she gave him as she pulled back hinted that Bunny had told her everything.

"Confused and worried but okay, I guess," he replied with a weak smile.

"It's understandable given the situation," Tia said. "Come on, let's go inside and see how Elsa is doing."

He nodded and they entered the building. Much to his expectations, when they walked into the waiting area, his eyes fell on Anna and Kristoff, who looked like they had been there for a while.

"Anna," Jack called, as he approached them.

Anna looked up and jumped to her feet rushing towards him. "I'm so sorry, Jack!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

Jack stiffened a little at the contact, unsure of why Anna was acting this way. However, noting she was clearly upset, he hugged her back.

"Anna, what's wrong?" he asked softly, pulling away to look at her.

She sniffled and stepped back, lifting her eyes. "I'm sorry… for snapping at you yesterday," she replied. "I had no idea that things were so complicated and ignored the fact that you were probably just as confused as I was. I'm sorry."

Jack sighed. "It's alright. We're all stressed and worried about Elsa," he replied. "How long have you been here?" he added, looking between her and Kristoff.

"About an hour," Kristoff answered.

"I could barely wait," Anna added. "I wanted to come even earlier but Kristoff stopped me, saying there's no point. And he was right – they wouldn't let me see Elsa before the visiting hours start."

"Well, it's almost time. Maybe we'll be able to see her now," Jack said.

With that he headed for Elsa's room, followed by Anna and the rest. A couple of minutes later, they stood in front of the room. Jack was just about to knock, when the door swung open and he was suddenly faced with a stern looking nurse.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, almost bumping into him.

"Good morning," Jack greeted. "We're here to see Elsa Andersen."

"Yes, it seems everybody is so eager to visit Miss Andersen this morning," the nurse said with annoyance in her voice. "First, her uncle comes here at seven in the morning and now you can barely wait for the visiting hours to start."

"Uncle? What uncle?" Anna said, raising her eyebrows in question.

"Tall, dark-haired man… yellowish eyes… stinks of cigarettes," the nurse started describing him hurriedly. "He introduced himself as Edward Black, as far as I can remember, and said he was her uncle."

Jack felt as if the carpet had been pulled from under his feet. "Pitch!" he breathed and, panicked, he looked at Bunny who matched his expression.

"Do you know that man, Jack?" Anna asked.

"Excuse me," Jack said, ignoring her question, and brushed past the nurse, pushing the door open and going in.

Upon entering the room, his eyes fell on Elsa, who stared at him in surprise. He glanced over her, looking for anything that would indicate she had been physically hurt by Pitch, and then instinctively looked at the fetal monitor.

"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed, after she'd followed Jack inside. She dashed past him and settled next to the bed, taking Elsa's hand. "Oh God! Are you alright? The nurse told us that some man came here this morning. Did he do anything to you?"

Elsa shifted her eyes from Jack to her sister. "I'm alright, Anna," she said, reassuringly. "He didn't harm me."

"And the baby? Is the baby okay?" Anna shot, furrowing her brow with worry.

"The baby is fine, too. Calm down," Elsa replied, giving Anna a weak smile.

Hearing this, Jack breathed a sigh of relief, happy that Anna had asked the questions he'd needed answered as well. Now that he knew neither Elsa nor the baby had been harmed, he could focus on the other pressing issue – finding out what Pitch wanted.

"Elsa," he spoke, attracting the attention of both girls. Realizing this had been the first time he'd addressed her in two days, he felt a bit nervous. However, knowing the seriousness of the situation, he pushed that thought to the back of his mind and continued. "The man who came here, Edward Black… Did he say anything to you?"

Elsa stared at him almost unable to believe that he'd actually just talked to her. She was about to reply, when Anna cut in.

"Jack, do you know him? Do you know that guy?" she asked with urgency in her voice.

"Unfortunately, yes," Jack nodded. "Edward 'Pitch' Black is the owner of a team called _The Nightmares_. I'm sure Kristoff has mentioned these guys to you," he explained and watched as Anna frowned and nodded apprehensively. "They have relentless game tactics and have caused some serious injuries to players. The worst part is that Pitch is so obsessed with success that he's willing to use extortion to ensure his team wins always or at least most of the time. For some years now, the police have suspected him of blackmailing players to play weak or even leave their teams and join his. However, due to his money and connections as well as lack of solid evidence for his actions, they've never managed to arrest him." He paused and looked at Elsa again. "I'll take a wild guess and say that, if he was here, he's trying to use you to get to me," he said. "That's why I need to know what he told you, Elsa."

Elsa looked at him for a few seconds. She had been horrified by her earlier interaction with Edward Black and it had been more than clear to her he wanted to scare Jack by approaching her. She also remembered what Black had told her, when they had first met at the Christmas charity ball, namely that it was a shame Jack was wasting his talent on a mediocre team like _The Guardians. _Back then she hadn't thought much of it, even though Coach North had warned her about that man and also asked her not to mention anything to Jack. However, after what had happened and what Jack had just said it all made sense to her – Edward Black was indeed using her to get to Jack.

She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and took a deep breath, considering her words. "He deliberately came here when the shifts were changing, so there was barely anyone around. Even if I had screamed for help, probably nobody would have heard me," she started, looking at Jack, who narrowed his eyes. "He quite openly admitted that he'd hired Hans to kidnap me and bring me to him." She heard Anna gasp and watched as Jack's scowl deepened. "He also said that you should be careful not to get injured while playing hockey."

"Son of a bitch," Jack growled, clenching his fists. He closed his eyes for a moment and ran a hand through his hair.

The fact that Pitch was so open about his intentions only served to show that evidently he was trying to send him a message. He felt his anger boil at the thought that Pitch had been anywhere near Elsa and could have done horrible things to her if he'd so pleased. He mentally kicked himself for leaving Elsa alone in the hospital overnight after she'd been attacked. If only he'd stayed there none of this would have happened to her. Instead, he'd let his anger and confusion get the best out of him.

He opened his eyes and his gaze settled on Elsa, who was looking at him with worry. They kept their eyes on each other for a few moments and Jack turned to Anna, beckoning her to him. Frowning, she stood up and walked over.

"Listen," Jack said in a soft voice, glancing at Elsa over his shoulder. "I want you to stay here with your sister and keep an eye on her, while I go deal with this."

"Yes, okay, I will. Be careful, Jack," she said.

He nodded and pressed the door handle, ready to leave only to be stopped by Elsa's voice.

"Jack," she called and he turned to look at her. "That man saw my file. He… he knows I'm pregnant."

He froze and stared at her for a second, before he exhaled heavily and left the room without another word.

"Jack," Bunny called, once Jack was out in the hallway. "Is everything alright? Did he hurt Elsa?"

Jack shook his head, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "Thankfully, no. Elsa is alright and so is the baby. But that asshole is definitely sending me a message," he answered. "And he overstepped the border when he threatened Elsa." He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Coach, hi, sorry to bother you on a Sunday."

"_That's alright, Jack_," North replied joyfully. "_How are you on this fine morning?_"

"Coach, we have a problem," Jack cut to the chase. "It's Pitch," he added and the line fell silent.

"_Meet me in my office in half an hour_," North finally replied – his tone suddenly much more serious – and hung up.

* * *

Elsa stared at the spot where seconds ago Jack had been standing. She was feeling numb on the inside. Once again, he had been cold and distant towards her. She'd been surprised that he'd even talked to her directly. Worst of all, however, had been his lack of emotion when she'd told him Edward Black was aware of her pregnancy. She wasn't entirely sure what exactly she'd hoped to accomplish by mentioning the baby to Jack. She'd thought that maybe she would be able to read his reaction and that would tell her how he felt about it. However, he'd remained expressionless and he'd not said a word. He'd just turned his back to her and left and that was something she had no idea how to interpret.

She'd been so buried in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed when Anna had returned to her side and taken her hand again. It wasn't until Anna had spoken that Elsa realized she'd been silent for a while.

"Elsa, are sure you're alright?" her sister questioned worriedly.

Elsa turned towards her and forced herself to give her sister a smile. "Yes… yes, I'm fine," she replied.

Anna gave her a small nod and then looked down, biting her lip, as if considering whether she should say what she wanted to. Finally, after a minute, she looked Elsa in the eye and spoke again.

"I… um…," she stuttered and paused nervously, looking away.

Elsa frowned. The last thing she needed right now was having to pull the words out of her sister's mouth. "What is it, Anna?" she asked rather impatiently.

"Well, I…" Anna said, hesitating again as she glanced at Elsa. Then she took a deep breath and continued. "I couldn't help but notice there's something going on between you and Jack and with everything that has happened I just… Would you like to talk about it?"

"No, I wouldn't," Elsa replied sharply, pulling her hand out of her sister's hold and turning away.

"Listen, I know now's not a very good time because you're still recovering physically… and with that man coming here… but I'm worried about you and about Jack… and-"

"I said no, Anna!" Elsa cut her off and glared at her.

Anna pouted and stayed silent for a brief moment. "Why won't you talk to me, Elsa!? I'm really worried!"

Elsa was just about to open her mouth and snap at Anna, when she was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, followed by Tia walking in with smile on her face and holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates.

* * *

Jack parked his car in front of the training facility _The Guardians_ used, where North's office was located. After he'd notified their coach about Pitch, he'd quickly filled Bunny and Kristoff in on what Elsa had told him and then he and Bunny had headed out. Kristoff had suggested he stayed behind to make sure the girls were safe and that Elsa didn't get any other unexpected or unwanted visitors.

They got out of the car and headed for the entrance. Jack hadn't been able to shake off the anxious feeling that had settled in his chest after North's sudden change of attitude on the phone and he couldn't help but feel that the coach knew something more than he did in relation to Pitch.

"You okay, mate?" Bunny asked, as they reached North's office.

"Yeah… I just want to find out what the heck is going on," he replied.

He knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an invitation. Once inside, he paused and surveyed the room, noting that the coach wasn't alone. North was sitting at his desk, talking to a man Jack had never met before and, upon noticing him and Bunny, he swiftly ended the conversation and smiled at them.

"Jack, Ean, come on in," he welcomed them, standing up.

"Hello, Coach," Bunny greeted, as he and Jack made a step forward, pulling the door closed.

Jack didn't say a word. He just eyed the unknown man suspiciously, even though he had to admit that the man looked like pleasant, friendly fellow.

"I would like you to meet Detective Samuel Sandman," North said, gesturing towards the man who stood up and smiled at them.

"Call me Sandy," he said and shook their hands.

"Detective?" Jack questioned, cocking an eyebrow and looked at the coach. He watched as North and the man, introduced as Sandy, exchanged a look, which only caused his suspicion, curiosity and nervousness to peak. "What's going on here?" he added, narrowing his eyes.

"You two should sit down," North said, as he and the detective took a seat on the sofa in his office. "We have some things to discuss."

Jack and Bunny looked at each other, hesitating. Then Bunny shrugged and took a seat as well.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Jack murmured, rubbing the back of his neck, as he plopped down on a vacant armchair with a heavy sigh.

Once they were all seated, the coach cleared his throat, encouraging the detective to speak.

"As I'm sure you both know," Sandy started, looking between Jack and Bunny. "Edward Black is a highly ambitious man who will stop at nothing to ensure his and his team's success. He's been using various illegal methods to force skillful players from other teams to either join _The Nightmares _or play weak during important games. While we've been aware of this issue for a few years now, we've never managed to actually gather enough proof of his actions and arrest him. We've tried convincing affected players to come forth and report him. However, the ones who'd joined his team, refused to communicate with the police and the rest were too afraid to cooperate. So, after many unsuccessful attempts, we figured it was time to change our tactics," he explained. "Instead of approaching players who have already fallen victim to Black's blackmail, we try to estimate who could potentially be attacked by him, and contact them before it actually happens."

"And how exactly do you calculate that?" Bunny asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

"Well, luckily it's not as complicated as it sounds," the detective replied. "We select the strongest teams – the ones that could possibly attract Black's attention – by looking at their performance for the past 3-4 seasons. If a team's success rate has steadily been escalating, then we can assume he might consider that team a threat. Then we look at the players with highest achievements and we contact them."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about where this is going?" Jack said, directing his attention to North.

North sighed, stroking his beard, as he contemplated the best way to approach the issue, not wanting to upset neither Jack nor Bunny with what he was about to tell them. Finally, after a moment of careful consideration, he spoke. "As you boys know, _The Guardians_ have done pretty well in the past couple of years and this season we have a very significant chance of actually winning the national championship," he started, not failing to notice the frowns that had appeared on the faces of the two younger men in front of him. Undoubtedly, they were already starting to realize where the story was headed. "Sandy here contacted me a few months ago and told me that for exactly this reason it is highly likely our team may receive some unwanted attention. He also explained that there's a reason to believe Pitch might try to approach my best players, namely you two and Kristoff. However, there was no way of knowing which one of you he would approach if he so decided."

"And we also weren't sure what his methods of establishing contact were, so we had to keep an eye out for anything suspicious," the detective added.

Jack turned to look at Bunny, who shared his knowing expression. It didn't take much for them to piece things together and it was obvious that Pitch had chosen to blackmail Jack and he hadn't tried to be subtle about it either.

"Coach, that's exactly what we-" Jack started but North cut him off.

"No, Jack, there's more. Let me finish," he said, raising his hand to silence him. "We didn't know exactly whom he might be targeting until…" he paused, hesitating, "…until he approached Elsa at the Christmas charity ball last month."

"What!?" Jack exclaimed, staring at his coach in disbelief.

North nodded. "I saw him talking to her, while she was standing by herself. You weren't around so I went up to her and told Pitch to back off," he said.

"She hasn't mentioned anything to me about this," Jack replied.

"That's because I asked her not to," North answered. "I thought it would be best if you didn't know anything until we were sure tha-"

Now it was Jack's turn to interrupt him. "Excuse me!?" he retorted angrily, narrowing his eyes.

"Wait, wait, hold up," Bunny joined in. "You mean to tell us that it wasn't only Elsa who has been in danger this whole time but Tia and Anna and possibly our whole families too?" Bunny added.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," North replied, looking down with a hint of shame.

"How can you hide something like that from us?" Jack raised his voice. "You should have told me he came in contact with Elsa!"

"We didn't inform you because we couldn't risk Black suspecting something. We were finally getting somewhere. If you knew in advance, before he actually made his intentions clear, you could have panicked or slipped up and we could have blown the whole thing," the detective said, earning himself a glare from Jack.

"And that asshole approaching my girlfriend wasn't evidence enough for you? Are you kidding me!?" Jack snapped, jumping to his feet. "I can't believe this…" he murmured, running a hand through his hair, as he turned his back to them and moved away from the couch.

"Jack, calm down," North said.

"Don't you fucking tell me to calm down!" he hissed, turning to glare at the coach and pointing a finger at him.

North frowned at the rudeness of the tone and was just about to speak again, when Bunny interjected.

"Coach, you don't understand," he said, attracting the older man's attention. "Elsa is in the hospital." He watched as the coach gasped and glanced nervously at the detective before he looked up at Jack, who remained silent and diverted his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Taking this as a sign that he was free to explain the situation, Bunny continued talking. "This is why Jack called you this morning. She has been assaulted by a man who was hired by Pitch to kidnap her. He beat her when she tried to escape him. Thankfully, another guy saw this and stepped in."

"When did this happen? Is Elsa alright" North asked wide-eyed.

"Friday night towards early Saturday morning," Jack stated, omitting the details of how exactly it had happened. "Thankfully, she hasn't suffered any major injuries."

"Have you reported this to the authorities?" the detective inquired, looking up at him.

"Yeah, I called the police after I arrived at the hospital and they questioned her," he replied. "She actually knew her attacker. It was her sister's ex-boyfriend, Hans Westerguard."

"A man, identified as Hans Westerguard, was found at the docks by fishermen early this morning," Sandy said. "He has been severely beaten and left for dead. I think it's safe to assume that after he failed to kidnap your girlfriend, Black sent his thugs after him. The man is currently in the hospital, but rest assured, Mr. Frost – I will notify my colleagues and he shall be arrested immediately."

Jack looked at him, knowing that this piece of information was meant to reassure him. However, it couldn't change the fact that Elsa was in the hospital and it didn't make him feel any better, so he didn't comment.

"Jack, if this happened yesterday, why didn't you call me earlier?" North asked.

Jack sighed heavily. "Because it was only this morning, when I visited Elsa, that I found out it was actually Pitch behind all this. The bastard went in the hospital when the shifts were changing. He basically told Elsa he'd been the one behind her attempted kidnapping and, when Hans had failed to deliver, he'd decided to pay her a visit, thereby sending me a clear message."

"He will contact you again," Sandy said suddenly, causing everybody to look at him. "And when he does, we'll be ready to take action!"

"What do you mean by 'take action'?" Jack asked, frowning at the man.

"Well," the detective started. "He already knows your biggest weakness – your girlfriend – and evidently he's aware that he'll have your attention by threatening her safety and wellbeing. From what you've just told us, initially his plans have been to kidnap her, which would have been a more direct approach and it would have also put us in a more delicate position. However, fortunately for us, this has failed."

"Fortunately?" Jack repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Please explain to me how my girlfriend being physically assaulted is fortunate?"

"Mr. Frost, I understand that you're upset. It's a perfectly normal reaction given the circumstances but – "

"Upset?" Jack interrupted him, lifting his eyebrows. "Upset doesn't even begin to describe it. What you didn't know and hence failed to take into account when you did your calculations is that my girlfriend is pregnant. But do you wanna know who knows about it? Pitch, who decided to take a peek at her medical file this morning, while she was too terrified to call for help. So, by keeping me in the dark about your little operation, you put not only Elsa in danger but also my unborn child. So, no, I'm not upset, Detective. I'm PISSED OFF!" he finished shouting, his eyes fixed on Sandy.

"Elsa's pregnant?" North asked, smiling slightly, but his smile faded as he realized now it wouldn't be the best time to congratulate Jack.

"Yes, and it's miracle she didn't miscarry after what she's been through," Jack said, scowling at him.

Sandy remained silent for a while. Then he finally looked up at Jack. "Look, I apologize for what has happened. Clearly, we didn't account for everything. However, we're finally close to apprehending Black," he spoke. "But we need your help to do it. Will you cooperate?"

"The man went into my girlfriend's hospital room without any problem – a place that's supposed to be safe – and proceeded to tell her that practically he'd been the one to put her there in the first place. She was completely alone and at his mercy! God knows what he could have done to her and what else he can still do to her at any given point in time," Jack stated, repeating himself. "If I double-cross this guy and your plan fails, I don't want to imagine what his reaction will be."

"I'm with Jack on this one," Bunny added. "Pitch is seriously messed up and there's no knowing how exactly he'll retaliate if he finds out."

"Jack," North started. "I know you're scared for Elsa's safety and yours. It's normal, especially now with a baby on the way. But this is truly a good opportunity to put an end to Pitch's nonsense. And you're not going to be doing it alone – Sandy and his team will be backing you up."

Jack looked at him for a long moment and then let out a breath, as he started pacing around the room. Rubbing his forehead, he considered his answer. On the one hand, he was furious that such important information had been withheld from him – information that could have helped him keep Elsa safe – and he didn't agree that leaving him clueless about the possible threat from Pitch had been the ideal approach. On the other hand, he was aware of how much damage Pitch had done and he was certain that the man would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He had to agree with his coach that Pitch had to finally be stopped. Moreover, even if he refused to cooperate with the police and instead did whatever Pitch might ask him to, he had no guarantee that Elsa will be safe after that, because Pitch wasn't one to be trusted.

Several minutes later, he spun around and focused on the detective. "Fine," he said. "I'll cooperate. What exactly do you need me to do?"

"Perfect!" Sandy exclaimed and stood up. "First, we have to wait until Black contacts you again. I expect this to happen soon. He will most likely request to meet you somewhere in a remote or deserted location. You have to agree to that and then contact me to give me the details. From then on, we just need to prepare you for the meeting with him. Don't hesitate to call day or night."

Jack nodded and accepted the business card the detective handed him. "I sincerely hope this works out," he muttered.

"Don't worry, Jack. Everything will be fine," North assured him. "And, until Pitch calls you, you should focus on Elsa and make sure she's alright."

"Yeah…" Jack answered tiredly. He glanced at his watch and turned to Bunny. "We should go."

Bunny nodded and stood up.

"I'll be expecting your call, Mr. Frost," Sandy said just as Jack was walking out of the door.

* * *

Sitting inside the car, Jack relaxed against his seat and closed his eyes, sighing heavily.

"Jack, are you sure all this is a good idea?" Bunny asked as he buckled up.

Jack opened his eyes slowly and looked out the window. "No, it's not a good idea," he replied. "But neither is my other option, so I had to choose the lesser evil. Now all I can do is to pray this works out."

With that he started the engine and drove off.

* * *

Jack entered his apartment and kicked off his shoes. When he'd dropped Bunny off, Tia had told him that Anna and Kristoff had still been at the hospital when she'd left and they intended to stay with Elsa until he came back. He'd called Anna to let her know he'd make a quick stop at his place to take a shower and grab some clothes for Elsa for when they release her from the hospital the next day.

He hadn't been in the apartment for even ten minutes, when the doorbell rang. He frowned, wondering who it might be, and went to open the door only to see the porter of the building, Kai, standing in front of him with a large, bulky, brownish envelope in his hands.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Frost, but this just arrived for you," Kai said and extended his arm, handing Jack the envelope.

Jack took it and looked at it, observing that it only had his name written on it and no mention of address or sender. "Who delivered it?" he asked, looking up.

"The usual delivery guy, sir," Kai replied.

"On a Sunday?" Jack inquired again, cocking an eyebrow. The porter just shrugged and Jack let out a sigh. "Okay, thank you, Kai."

Kai gave him a smile and bid him goodbye, then disappeared into the elevator. Jack closed the door and made his way into the living room. He stared at the envelope for a couple of seconds and then decided to open it. He felt his stomach drop when he pulled out the contents – a greeting card with a picture of a baby and 'Congratulations!' written on it and a mobile phone. He stood still for a while, his heart beating fast as he stared down at the phone in his hand.

Finally, he reluctantly unlocked the screen and was just about to look through the phone, when it rang.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed that :P**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi all!**

**Thanks for all reviews, favs and follows! :)**

** I apologize for taking long with this update, but in my defense it's the longest chapter I've ever written. Anyway, thank you for being patient with me!**

****DISCLAIMER:**** I don****'t own any of the characters or their respective stories.****

**ENJOY!**

* * *

****GIVE IT A CHANCE****

Chapter 18

Jack tensed up as he stared at the ringing phone in his hand. There was no caller ID but then again he hadn't expected there to be one either. He hesitated for another second and he finally swiped the screen to answer the phone.

"Hello," he spoke in a raspy voice.

"_Mr. Frost_," he heard the British accent come down the line and tightened his jaw. "_I take it you've received my greeting card. I hope you liked it_."

Jack twitched at the sarcastic remark and shivered in disgust as he glanced at the sinister greeting card lying on the coffee table. The fact that he was currently being subjected to blunt manipulation was angering him by the second. However, he knew it was in his best interest to stay calm and composed, so he forced himself to focus and act rationally. Swiftly, he took out his own phone and switched on the sound recorder. Then he pulled the other phone away from his ear and turned the loudspeaker function on.

"What do you want, Pitch?" he asked sharply, making sure he was recording the conversation.

"_Oh, I just wanted to congratulate you on the wonderful news. I thought that it would be mighty rude of me if I congratulated your beautiful girlfriend but not you,_" Pitch replied.

Another wave of anger washed over Jack, but he shook his head and remained focused. "What. Do. You. Want," he repeated through gritted teeth. He heard the other man chuckle and narrowed his eyes in anticipation of an answer to his question.

"_I like how straightforward you are, Mr. Frost – not wasting any time on chitchat. I love doing business with people like you,_" Pitch said. "_However, I do not think I need to explain to you what I want. I think we're both aware exactly what I'm interested in and it would be a waste time to further this conversation over the phone. I'm sure you would like to spend some time with your lovely significant other, who is so unfortunately confined to a hospital bed for the moment. Therefore, I would like to propose a meeting. Nothing formal, of course… _"

Jack cringed at the mention of Elsa. Images of her being hurt ran through his mind and he felt a lump forming in his throat. The fact that Pitch was consciously using her to influence him was driving him insane. He wanted to yell at the man, to threaten him, tell him to not ever go near her again, but he knew that such actions would do him no good. They would only serve to further convey that Elsa was his weakness and that he would protect her at any cost.

Letting out a sigh, Jack spoke. "I'm listening."

Pitch chuckled again. "_11:00 pm tomorrow night at the kayak rental facility on the northern side of the lake in Arendelle Park. I'm looking forward to our meeting, Mr. Frost,_" he said.

"I'll be there," Jack replied coldly.

He was just getting ready to end the conversation, when Pitch spoke again.

"_Oh, and one more thing_," he added, making Jack's frown deepen. "_I trust you won't share this piece of information with the nice Detective Sandman now, will you?_"

Hearing this, Jack gasped softly . He heard Pitch snicker and narrowed his eyes, as he tried to figure out how Pitch could have found out about the detective, only to receive the answer a second later.

"_You see, Mr. Frost, I'm very… careful when it comes to doing business. I've always liked the expression 'Trust is good, but control is better.' So, I hope you would be understanding, when I tell you that I've been keeping an eye on you._"

Jack's eyes widened and he instinctively glanced at the window. Quickly, he made his way across the room and looked outside, surveying the area surrounding the apartment complex for anything suspicious. His eyes scanned the neighboring buildings and the cars parked below. However, to his dismay, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, especially since he had no idea exactly what to look for.

"_I think you would agree that it would not be smart to get the police involved,_" Pitch drawled, snapping Jack out of his thoughts. "_Do we have a deal, Mr. Frost?_"

"Yes," Jack breathed. "Yes, we have a deal."

"_Excellent!_" Pitch exclaimed. "_Until tomorrow night then._"

With that the call ended, leaving Jack looking down at the phone in his hand, barely resisting the urge to smash it against the wall. It took him a few moments to come around and he cut the recording. He placed the phone Pitch had sent him on the coffee table and then put his hand in his pocket, digging out the business card the detective had given him earlier. He punched in the number and was just about to dial, when something stopped him. He stared at the screen, Pitch's words running through his mind. Hesitating for another second, he erased the number and flopped down on the couch.

He stared in space. His mind was blank and at the same time he was overflowing with all sorts of emotions. He was frustrated that he'd been kept in the dark, which had ultimately resulted in Elsa getting hurt. He was scared for her and the baby's safety. He was extremely disturbed by the idea of being watched and followed. But most of all, he was angry at himself for not taking proper care of Elsa… for not staying with her at the hospital the night before.

He let out an exasperated sigh and buried his head in his hands in an attempt to concentrate and figure out what to do about the delicate situation he was in.

His initial instinct had been to call the police. However, he'd quickly reconsidered, realizing it might not have been the wisest decision given the circumstances. Clearly Pitch had him followed and if he'd first come in contact with Elsa at the Christmas ball that meant he'd been watching both of them for a while and he'd known very well who Elsa was, which only served to prove that Pitch had done his research. Just like Bunny and Kristoff, Jack had tried his best to keep his personal life as private as possible and he had done that precisely because he'd wanted to keep Elsa safe and away from the claws of paparazzi. Nevertheless, on several occasions, photos of them had been published in gossip magazines. So, he wondered if that had been how Pitch had found out about her.

Jack shook his head. At this point, it didn't matter how he'd found. What mattered was what would happen henceforth.

He looked at the coffee table, where the two phones and the greeting card were lying, and contemplated how he should approach the issue at hand. For starters, he couldn't contact the police. This much was certain. However, the reason for this wasn't only what Pitch had just told him. The truth was that he didn't trust the police, not after they had withheld vital information from him and put Elsa in harm's way for the sole reason of using her as bait. This alone was enough for him to realize that the police were only interested in capturing Pitch, whereas his and Elsa's safety came second and if something happened to them, they would just be considered casualties – a sacrifice for the greater good. This combined with the fact that Pitch was aware of the police being involved made things a lot more complex that he'd initially thought, which called for a different course of action. He would have to deal with it on his own. Though, right now Elsa's wellbeing was his priority.

Glancing at his watch, Jack groaned. It was almost three o'clock and he'd intended to be back at the hospital much earlier. His eyes fell on his phone and he realized that, with everything that had gone down since he'd left the hospital earlier that day, he'd completely forgotten to arrange his stay with Elsa for the night. He still had no idea exactly what was going on between them and couldn't deny the fact that his anger with her hadn't fully subsided yet, but his love for her hadn't changed a tiny bit and he wanted to protect her. The night before, his thoughts and feelings had been all over the place and, in the distraught state he'd been in, he'd failed to consider her safety and he was now being faced with the result of his inexcusably irresponsible behavior. He had acted like a spoilt little boy, when he should have been a man and stayed by her side to make sure she was alright and that her every need was met. Therefore, he'd decided to spend the night at her hospital room regardless of Elsa's or the staff's opinion. He just couldn't risk anything more happening to her. The problem was that, judging by the strictness of the hospital staff regarding visiting hours, he doubted they would allow him to stay overnight.

Grabbing his phone, he pushed himself off the couch. Then he dialed North's number, put the phone to his ear and waited, reaching to rub the back of his neck. A couple of seconds later the loud voice of his coach answered.

"_Jack!_" the older man exclaimed. "_Is everything alright? Did something happen to Elsa?_"

"Everything is okay, Coach," Jack replied. "I'm calling because-"

"_Did Pitch contact you?_" North interrupted.

Jack's paused and turned to look at the phone he'd received earlier. "Uh, no. No, he didn't. Not yet anyway," he lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He heard a dissatisfied grunt coming from the other side of the line and frowned, wondering if North had believed him.

"_I guess it's too early…_" his coach commented.

"Listen, Coach, I need a favor."

"_What is it, Jack?_"

"I don't want to leave Elsa alone in the hospital tonight, not after what happened this morning," Jack explained. "But I know that they won't let me stay with her because of the strict visiting policy. So, I wanted to ask you to help me out with that."

"_Yes, of course,_" North answered. "_I'll call them right away._"

"Thank you."

"_That's the least I can do for you right now, Jack… You take care, boy, of both Elsa and yourself,_" the coach said in a fatherly manner. "_Keep me posted on the other issue as well._"

"Yeah, I will," Jack replied tiredly. "I'll talk to you later."

He ended the call and dropped his phone on the couch. Without a minute to spare, he walked into the bathroom, where he took his clothes off and discarded them into the laundry basket. Stepping into the shower cabin, he turned the tap and adjusted the temperature. He stood under the warm sprays and allowed himself to relax for a few minutes, trying not to focus his attention onto anything in particular, as the water trickled down his skin and soothed his tense muscles. Unwilling to waste time, however, he soon proceeded to wash himself.

Ten minutes later, he stepped out of the shower and dried himself. He wrapped the towel around his waist and wandered into the bedroom. He opened the wardrobe and pulled out a fresh pair of boxer-briefs and socks, which he swiftly slid on, before he threw the towel on the back of a nearby chair. He browsed through his clothes and selected a pair of track pants, a t-shirt and a hoodie, reasoning that this would be the most comfortable outfit for spending the night crammed in a hospital chair.

Once he was dressed, he took out a sports bag and opened Elsa's section of the wardrobe. His eyes scanned her carefully stacked clothes, as he tried to figure out what would be the best choice of clothing for her. After a minute of pondering, he decided that she needed to wear something warm and loose-fitting that won't press on her injuries. He was also not entirely certain what clothes could still properly fit her given the pregnancy, so in the end he chose a pair of warm socks and clean undergarments, leggings, a floating top and a long knitted cardigan. He placed them in the bag and looked around the room. His eyes landed on Elsa's makeup desk and he walked over to take one of her hair brushes, which he then added to the clothes. He grabbed the bag and carried it to the living room, before he went in the bathroom, where he put some of Elsa's toiletries and both their toothbrushes in a vanity case, which he brought to the living room and added to the sports bag. He went over the things he'd packed, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything important, and focused his attention to the coffee table.

Bending down, he collected the phone and the card and placed them back in the envelope in which they had arrived. He placed the envelope in the side compartment of the sports bag and moved to take his own phone from the couch, noting that he had a missed call and a text. He unlocked the screen and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, glad to see that both the call and the text were from his coach who'd wanted to inform him that he would be allowed the spend the night at the hospital.

Pocketing his phone, he grabbed the bag and walked to the entry hall. He slid his jacket and sneakers on, before he looked for a jacket he could take to Elsa. A few moments later, he walked out of the apartment and headed for the garage.

* * *

Jack parked his car in the hospital's parking lot and got off. He opened the back door and pulled out the sports bag. Then he locked the car and entered the building. He made his way to the waiting room, where he saw Kristoff, sitting in a chair and fidgeting with his keys.

"Kristoff," Jack called.

"Jack, hi," Kristoff replied, jumping to his feet, as Jack walked over. "Did you manage with everything?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I took a shower and got Elsa some clothes for tomorrow. Sorry, for taking so long."

"That's okay," Kristoff said and gave him a small smile.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Jack asked, glancing in the direction of Elsa's room, and sighed in relief when Kristoff shook his hand.

"Anna has been in there the whole time. She refused to leave Elsa's side and I had to almost carry her out of the room, when the doctor came to check up on Elsa," Kristoff said with a soft chuckle.

"Sounds like Anna. Thanks, mate, for making sure they were both safe."

"No need to thank me, Jack," Kristoff answered. "Uh… I talked to Bunny, by the way," he added in a more serious tone.

Jack glanced around the crowded waiting room and beckoned Kristoff to follow him to a more secluded area, where they could talk in private.

"Did Bunny explain everything?" he asked.

"Yeah, he told me the whole story in detail and I have to say that whole thing is crazy," Kristoff said. "I'm sorry it happened to you."

"It could have happened to either one of us," Jack commented and paused. "There's something else, though…"

"What?"

Jack looked around cautiously before he continued. "Pitch contacted me a couple of hours ago," he whispered.

Kristoff stared at him. "Are you serious!?" he exclaimed in a low voice and gasped when Jack nodded his head. "And?"

"You're the first person I tell and it's a bit complicated… well, more complicated than it already was," Jack replied. "I wouldn't want to talk about this here though and I need to discuss it with both you and Bunny. Tonight."

Kristoff examined Jack's facial expression. Bunny had told him exactly what had happened in their coach's office and he knew that Jack had promised to contact the detective as soon as Pitch had approached him, so the fact that his friend hadn't told anybody until now was very suspicious. The uneasiness in his voice only served to support this.

"That wouldn't be a problem. Just tell me when," he said.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, going over his options. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and looked at Kristoff. "Could you come here at around 10:00 pm? Hopefully Elsa would be asleep by then and I'll come meet you in the parking lot."

"Sure. I'll call Bunny and let him know," Kristoff agreed. "I think we should go to Elsa now. Visiting hours will be over soon and I'll have to be there to pull Anna out of the room."

Jack nodded and they headed in the direction of the room, arriving just in time to see the familiar nurse getting ready to go in.

"Good afternoon," he greeted.

"Ah, Mr. Frost, hello," she replied as reserved as usual. "I hear you will be spending the night here. I hope you understand that we had to bend hospital policy to accommodate your request."

Jack gulped uncomfortably under the intense stare of the woman. "Yes, I understand and I'm also very grateful," he said respectfully.

"Good. You should be," she retorted and pressed the handle, pushing the door open.

Jack and Kristoff shared a look and followed her inside. Jack dropped the sports bag on the floor in the corner and surveyed the room. He saw Anna, perched on a chair next to the bed. He shifted his eyes and caught Elsa's gaze. He noticed she looked tired and he wondered if she was feeling well. He decided that it might be a good idea to be present during the next doctor's visit for the day, since he wanted an update on her condition. They kept their eyes locked on each other until the nurse spoke and Elsa diverted her attention.

"Visiting hours are over," the stern woman announced, giving Anna a pointed look.

Anna frowned at the nurse. "I don't care," she said firmly. "I'm staying with my sister."

The nurse scowled and placed her hands on her hips. "Miss Andersen, this is hospital policy and you are not immune to it. I would kindly ask you to say goodbye to your sister and leave. You are free to come again tomorrow when we will hopefully be releasing her."

"I'm not leaving my sister alone!" Anna shot back, jumping to her feet.

"Anna," Jack spoke, attracting her attention as he stepped forward. "Elsa won't be alone. I've arranged to spend the here." He heard a soft gasp escape Elsa's lips and briefly glanced at her.

"You have?" Anna asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "So, don't worry. I'll be here and I'll make sure everything is alright. You should go home and rest. You've been here all day."

Anna relaxed her stance a little and turned to look at Elsa. "I don't want to leave you," she said softly, furrowing her brow with worry.

Elsa looked at Jack and then at her sister, and forced a weak smile. Reaching over, she took Anna's hand in hers. "I'll be fine, Anna. And Jack is right – you've been here all day, you're tired."

Anna kept her eyes on Elsa for a moment. "Are you sure?" she asked and let out a sigh of defeat when her sister nodded. "Okay, I'll go, but tomorrow I'll come back before the discharge you."

"Sounds good to me," Elsa replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, see you tomorrow," Anna said and walked away from the bed, pausing briefly to glare at the nurse who responded with the same.

"See you tomorrow, Elsa. Get better," Kristoff called and smiled at her.

She smiled back and watched as the three of them walked out of the room, under the strict stare of the nurse.

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want us to stay, Jack?" Anna asked again, once they were out of the room. "Cause it's wouldn't be a problem for me to-"

"Yes, Anna, I'm sure," he cut her off, placing his hands on her shoulders reassuringly. "Both you and Kristoff need to go home and get some rest."

She raised her eyes to Kristoff who nodded in agreement.

"Come on, Anna. Jack will be here and he'll protect Elsa better than anyone, you know that," he said, as he reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders pulling her away from the door.

"Alright," she breathed. "Stay safe, both of you."

Jack nodded and glanced at Kristoff who gave him a knowing look. They bid each other goodbye and Jack watched as Anna let herself be led away. He lingered by the door until they disappeared from view. Then, taking a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself and went back inside the room.

Upon entering, he paused. He looked up and his eyes met Elsa's, which caused him to look away almost immediately and direct his attention to the nurse, who was currently checking Elsa's IV.

"Well, everything seems to be in order," the nurse reported and turned to exit. She opened the door and spoke again. "I will bring you dinner in about an hour," she said, looking at Elsa and then shifted her eyes to Jack, "and a recliner for you, Mr. Frost."

"Thank you," Jack answered and watched as she left the room.

The door clicked shut and he found himself stiffening. He could feel his heartbeat quicken and realized that for the first time since he'd met Elsa he was anxious about being alone with her. His eyes rested on her and he noticed her head was bowed, as she stared at her hands. He could tell she was nervous too. He felt like he had to say something yet he had no idea what. There were too many things that needed to be said, that he needed to ask her, but the time and place weren't right. He knew that Elsa was trying her best to act brave and composed, but he'd noticed how scared she had been in the morning. He didn't want to upset her more, so whatever issues they had with each other had to be discussed and resolved within the privacy of their home, where Elsa would feel safe.

Jack ran a hand through his hair. "How… How are you feeling?" he finally spoke.

Elsa's eyes flicked to him and, when she met his gaze, she immediately looked away. "Okay," she whispered laconically.

Jack frowned at the brevity of her response. He'd hoped that she would say something that would lead to them starting a conversation. He needed to talk to her not only because there were things that had to be discussed but also because it felt strange to him that being in the same room alone with her could be so awkward. He remained standing in his spot by the door for another couple of minutes waiting to see if Elsa would saying anything else and, when she didn't, he sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. Then he looked around and spotted the chair on which Anna had been sitting earlier. He walked over to it and pulled it away from the bed, noting the way Elsa visibly avoided looking at him. Shaking his head, he took out his phone and sat down, pretending to focus on the screen. With the corner of his eye he saw Elsa turning to look at him, but he stubbornly ignored her, despite his intense desire to raise his head. The last thing he wanted was to make things even more uncomfortable than what they already were.

In an attempt to distract himself from the lack of communication between Elsa and himself, Jack shifted his attention to the issue with Pitch, which was something he anyway had to think about. He tapped on the screen of his phone and looked at the file of his recorded conversation with Pitch. He wondered if his decision to not contact the police hadn't been brash. After all, Pitch was somebody who shouldn't be underestimated. The man was cunning and ambitious, not to mention very powerful. However, Jack still held the belief that if Pitch was aware of the police already being involved then any further interactions with the authorities wouldn't go unnoticed. So, contacting Detective Sandman was indeed out of the question. Under these circumstances, the only thing he could do was to try to handle Pitch on his own.

Closing his eyes, Jack wracked his brain in search of a solution. He had been a bit reluctant to involve Bunny and Kristoff. The last thing he wanted was for Anna or Tia to suffer the same fate as Elsa. Nevertheless, he would be lying if he said he was confident he could singlehandedly deal with Pitch. The man had him exactly where he wanted him and Jack knew that without any help there was little he could do but to agree to Pitch's conditions. Yet, betraying his teammates by deliberately playing weak, ditching _The Guardians _or doing whatever else Pitch might demand from him was unthinkable.

Jack frowned. There was no denying that he was between a rock and a hard place and, unfortunately, it seemed that he had no other choice but to ask for his friends' assistance.

Immersed in his thoughts, he'd failed to notice how quickly time had passed until there was a knock on the door and the nurse walked in with a tray of food in her hands. She was followed by a janitor who wheeled in a recliner and swiftly left the room.

"Your dinner, Miss Andersen," she said and moved to place the tray in front of Elsa.

Jack looked up and silently observed the nurse's every action. His eyes shifted to Elsa, who glanced at the food, trying her best to conceal her distaste.

"I-I'm not hungry," she replied kindly and put on an apologetic smile, meant to convey her gratitude for the effort the nurse has made to bring her dinner.

The nurse scowled and let out an exasperated sigh, not even trying to hide her annoyance. "Miss Andersen, we've been over this several times already," the nurse said, placing her hands on her hips. "You need to eat even if you're not hungry. Both your own body and your baby need nutrients."

Elsa opened her mouth ready to protest, when a stern voice to her right cut her off.

"Eat," Jack ordered, looking at her from underneath his eyebrows.

He heard her breath hitch, as her head snapped to the side and she stared at him wide-eyed as if it was only then when she noticed he was in the room. He kept his unblinking eyes on her, ignoring the fact that the nurse had also been startled by his verbal intrusion. He felt himself relax a little, when Elsa returned her attention to the food in front of her and hesitantly picked up her fork before scooping some of the mashed potatoes in her plate. Then she brought the fork to her mouth and parted her lips, reluctantly tasting the yellowish puree. Once Jack witnessed her swallowing it, he glanced at the nurse, who regarded him with what he recognized as a mild form of admiration, before walking to the door.

"The doctor will be checking up on you shortly," she stated and exited the room without waiting for either of them to reply.

The next hour passed in silence. Under Jack's watchful gaze, Elsa had begrudgingly finished her meal a bit before the nurse had returned to collect her tray. Not long after that, the doctor had come by to examine Elsa. To Jack's relief, the doctor had assured them that she was recovering well and that there was nothing to be worried about, which meant that she would be discharged the next day as initially predicted. After the doctor's visit, however, the room had once again fallen silent with neither Jack nor Elsa wanting to initiate a conversation. He'd buried himself in his thoughts again, while Elsa had simply relaxed on the bed, clearly trying to disregard his presence. Mere thirty minutes later her breathing became deeper and more even and he realized she'd fallen asleep.

He glanced at her peaceful form and something inside of him stirred. Quietly, he stood up and approached the bed. His eyes traced her delicate features and he subconsciously clenched his hands into fists at the sight of the bruises on her pale skin, as he vowed to himself that Pitch would pay for what he'd put Elsa through. He felt his anger built up but shook it off, knowing it wasn't a good time to get agitated. Instead, he directed his attention to her abdomen, which was rising and falling with every breath she took. The electrodes attached to her caught his eye and he followed them to the fetal monitor they were plugged into and for a brief moment his heart fluttered and the smallest trace of a smile appeared on his lips. He looked at the display for a several seconds and returned his gaze to Elsa's face. Hesitating, he reached to gently stroke her hair.

"What's going on between us, Elsa?" he murmured softly. "Why did you keep it a secret from me?"

He looked at her for a while longer. Then with a sad sigh he reluctantly retracted his hand and returned to his seat.

Nestled into the comfortable recliner the hospital staff had set up for him, Jack soon felt his eyelids getting heavy, as the stress from all the events of the day finally got to him, draining what little energy he'd had left. He struggled to stay awake, forcing himself to focus on the problems at hand and mentally repeating to himself that he was there to guard Elsa. However, his fatigued mind strongly disagreed with him and soon he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A sudden strong vibration in his pocket jolted Jack awake. His eyes snapped open and he jerked up into a sitting position. He looked around the room in panic but let out a breath when he saw Elsa still sleeping undisturbed. It took him some time to realize that the thing which had vibrated in his pocket was his phone and he fished it out, running a hand over his face tiredly. The pulsating light in the upper corner of the device indicated he'd received a new message, so he unlocked the screen to read it.

'_We're waiting for you in the parking lot, mate. _

_~Bunny_ '

Blinking, Jack looked at the clock on the wall, noting his friends had been quite punctual. Stretching a little, he rose from the recliner and, careful not to make any noise, he took out the large brown envelope from the side compartment of his sports bag. With one last look at Elsa's sleeping form, he silently slipped out of the room and walked towards the exit of the hospital. A few minutes later he'd located Bunny's black Pathfinder, parked not far away from the main building.

"Hey," he greeted his friends flatly, as he climbed into the back seat of the large car and closed the door.

"Hey, mate," Bunny replied, matching Jack's tone. Both he and Kristoff turned around in their seats to look at Jack. "Tia sent this for you. She figured you probably haven't had much to eat today," he added and pointed at the Tupperware box sitting on the seat next to Jack.

Jack followed Bunny's finger with curiosity and took the box, carefully lifting the cap – a wide grin spreading across his lips, as he recognized the contents. "Vegemite and tuna sandwiches!" he exclaimed happily and brought the box to his nose, moaning in delight at the smell, while Bunny and Kristoff scrunched their noses in disgust. The loud growl that came from his stomach reminded him that he had indeed forgotten to eat that day. "Ah, Tia's an angel!"

"I don't understand how you can eat that," Bunny said, watching as Jack reached for one of the sandwiches and took a large bite.

"You just don't know how good it is," Jack mumbled with his mouth full, lowering his head to take another bite before he'd even swallowed the first one.

"It's a crime against Australian culture, that's what it is," Bunny remarked. "How's Elsa?" he added, deciding that a change of topic would help suppress his gag reflex.

Jack looked up, noting the concern in his friend's eyes. He finished chewing and swallowed. "Well, physically she's okay. The doctor said she's recovering well and they'll be releasing her tomorrow," he answered and paused. "Emotionally… I don't know… I haven't had the chance to discuss things with her firstly, because I don't think the hospital is the best place to talk about our personal life, and secondly, because of this," he finished and handed the envelope over to them. "As I told Kristoff earlier, Pitch contacted me," he continued after consuming the last piece of his sandwich. "This was delivered to my door a few minutes after I got home this afternoon. Open it."

Bunny and Kristoff exchanged a worried look and Bunny unsealed the envelope and took out its contents.

"This… is seriously messed up," Kristoff pointed out, staring down at the greeting card with an expression of horror.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Jack replied, pulling out his phone, his thumb moving to unlock the screen.

"Oh, Pitch is playing it safe, huh?" Bunny commented, inspecting the phone he'd just retrieved from the envelope.

"Not safe enough," Jack responded and hit play on the recording of his conversation with Pitch, then watched as his friends listened intently, their faces contorting in anger.

"That fucking asshole!" Bunny grunted when the recording was over.

"He's relentless," Kristoff added, frowning.

Jack simply nodded and slid the phone back in his pocket.

"I'm guessing only Kristoff and I know about this…?" Bunny asked.

"Yeah," Jack stated. "After I got the call, my first thought was to contact the detective, but I reconsidered. I haven't called North either cause I'm pretty sure he'll insist on the police getting involved anyway and I don't trust those guys. Their main objective is apprehending Pitch, whereas mine is keeping Elsa safe. The way I see it, if they get involved, Elsa will end up as collateral damage. I'm not gonna let that happen."

"I'll have to agree with you there," Bunny nodded. "I got the same impression at the meeting earlier. They're using you as bait."

"Yeah, I know," Jack said with a sigh and rubbed his forehead.

The car fell silent, until Kristoff spoke.

"So, what's your plan?" he asked bluntly, making Jack and Bunny look at him. "If you've told only us that means you're planning to do something on your own. What is it?"

"About that," Jack started, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure I want you two getting involved. I don't want Tia or Anna going through the same nightmare as Elsa. I don't want to put your families in danger either."

That prompted a frown from Bunny who glanced at Kristoff's matching expression. Then he turned back to Jack, landing a large hand on his friend's shoulder. "Yeah, like either of us will leave you alone in this mess," he said. "You're part of my family, Jack. We grew up together. And now you're in danger."

"That and Elsa is Anna's sister, so she's kind of part of my family," Kristoff added. "So, tell us – what's the plan?"

Jack stared at them, a feeling of relief and gratitude rushing through him. Gathering his thoughts, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. "Um, well, there isn't a plan per se. I've been thinking all day about this meeting with Pitch… Tomorrow he will most likely coerce me into playing weak and leaving the team, neither of which I'm willing to do. However, I can make him believe that I'll agree to his terms. If I can do that while the meeting is being documented, then, together with the already recorded phone conversation and Elsa's testimony, that should be enough to prove that he's been blackmailing me," he reasoned.

"Not to mention that North has witnessed Pitch approaching Elsa during the Christmas charity event," Bunny said. "And if that sleazeball, Westerguard, recovers, he can be forced to testify against Pitch as well."

"Yeah, but how are you planning to make Pitch believe that you'll do what he wants?" Kristoff inquired. "Let's say we manage to record everything. Then what? Are you going to hand it over to the detective? If Pitch has people following you, which he clearly does, then he'll know you've been in contact with the police. He might cause even more damage before the police actually manage to take action against him."

"That's a good point," Jack observed and paused, rubbing his chin in thought. "I'll have to think about that one. In any case, right now my primary goal is to convince Pitch that I'll do whatever he wants me to and in the meantime get sufficient proof of this meeting taking place. From there on, I'll figure it out."

"Okay, so how can we help?" Bunny asked.

"The meeting needs to be either videotaped or photographed and I need to secure a voice recording too. The simplest thing I can come up with is carrying some sort of a wire or having my phone's recorder turned on. However, I'm pretty sure I'll get searched before I can get anywhere near Pitch," Jack explained. "So, I'll need your help in planning exactly how to do things."

"And we have what – 24 hours to come up it?" Bunny asked, casually glancing at his watch.

"That's going to be tough," Kristoff said, scratching the back of his head.

"I know, but this is my only option," Jack replied glumly, bowing his head.

"We'll help you out, mate, you know that," Bunny reassured him. "We'll bring the fucker down."

Jack look up at and gave him a faint smile.

"How should we organize ourselves for tomorrow?" Kristoff asked.

"Elsa should be discharged in morning. They need to examine her one more time before they let her go and, if everything goes well, I'll be able to take her home before noon. I'll ask Anna to stay with her while I'm out," Jack responded. "After that we can meet up and discuss our possibilities for a plan."

"That's sounds good to me. Kristoff and I will brainstorm until then," Bunny said.

Kristoff nodded in confirmation. "We can meet at my place."

"That settles it then," Jack declared and glanced at his watch. "I should go now. Elsa was asleep when I left and I wouldn't want her to wake up to an empty room. She'll be scared." He shuffled closer to the door and opened it. Then he paused and looked at them with a sincere expression. "Thanks for everything."

"Don't mention it, mate. You'd do the same for us," Bunny replied. "And don't forget your offensive sandwiches."

Jack grinned and reached for the box. He got out of the car and pushed the door shut, before he saluted his friends and hurried back inside the hospital.

In a few minutes, he'd reached Elsa's room. He slid inside quietly, taking care to close the door as soundlessly as he had opened it. He looked at Elsa, happy to see that she was still asleep, and moved to take his place in the recliner. Assuming a comfortable position, he lifted the cap of the Tupperware box, determined to finish his late dinner. He'd just eaten half of his sandwich, when he heard bed sheets rustle and looked up to see Elsa stirring awake. She turned her head towards him and blinked a few times, adjusting to the light in the room. Jack's eyes remained fixed on her, as he swallowed his bite, not sure if she'll say anything to him. For a while, neither of them moved nor spoke. Then suddenly Elsa sniffed the air and frowned.

"Is… Is that a Vegemite and Tuna sandwich?" she asked in a hoarse voice, eyeing the box in his lap.

Jack looked down and gulped, suddenly remembering how much Elsa hated the combined smell of vegemite and tuna and that she was also pregnant, which, according to his rational thought, meant that the smell was most likely causing her to feel sick. He mentally kicked himself for ignoring this possibility and looked at her apologetically.

"Yeah. Is it making you sick? I can go finish it outside," he replied and stood up, making a step towards the door, but the sound of her voice stopped him.

"N-No, that's okay," she said and he looked at her in surprise. Her eyes shifted to the box in his hands and she bit her lip, hesitating. "Can I… Can I have a bite?"

Jack stared at her, shock written all over his face. "You want a Vegemite and Tuna sandwich?" he asked incredulously.

She nodded slightly and he slowly approached her, still unable to believe what she'd just asked him. She pushed herself into a sitting position and he handed her the box, which she almost snatched out of his fingers, and observed in sheer amazement as she grabbed the remaining sandwich and took a massive bite from it. His jaw dropped, when the delighted moans she made reached his ears, and he couldn't help questioning if Elsa hadn't hit her head a little harder than what the doctors had established.

"Don't look at me like that," Elsa protested with traces of embarrassment in her voice, snapping him out of his trance.

Realizing he'd been gaping at her, he shook his head. "Sorry, I just… you _hate_ these sandwiches…"

"I can't help it," she replied. "It's the baby."

Hearing this, Jack involuntarily glanced at her abdomen and the corners of his lips curved upwards ever so slightly. Another satisfied whimper distracted him and he decided he should take the probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Elsa eat an entire Vegemite and Tuna sandwich. So, he sat in the recliner and watched her devour the last bits of the delicious combination of flavors, as he thought with bewilderment how, after years of unsuccessful persuasion on his part, it took a pregnancy for her to finally taste it.

Elsa swallowed her last bite and took a napkin from of the otherwise empty box, wiping her lips and hands, before placing the napkin back inside and putting the cap on top, with a look of pure content on her features. All of a sudden, she gasped, her eyes widening. Jack tensed, fearing that there was something wrong. He was just about to ask her if she was alright, when she faced him and spoke.

"I- I'm sorry! I ate all of it," she said with a hint of guilt.

He let out breath of relief, almost chuckling at the ridiculousness of her words. Had she forgotten all that had ever mattered to him was her wellbeing and comfort?

"Don't worry, I've had enough to eat," he lied, trying to reassure her, and reached to take the empty box from her hands.

He relaxed into his seat and neither of them spoke for a very long moment. Until Elsa's voice cut through the silence.

"Jack… we need to talk."

"I know," he replied quietly. "But not here and not now."

* * *

**A/N: Well, things should be getting a little bit clearer already. The question is, what will happen between Jack and Elsa from here on?**

**I hope you enjoyed that chapter and I'm looking forward to your reviews :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone!**

**Thanks for all reviews, favs and follows! :)**

**Here's chapter 19...**

****DISCLAIMER:**** I don****'t own any of the characters or their respective stories.****

**ENJOY!**

* * *

****GIVE IT A CHANCE****

Chapter 19

Elsa stepped in the shower and let out a content sigh when the warm water sprays came in contact with her bare skin. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the long-awaited bath, while her mind wandered back to the emotional rollercoaster that had been the past day and a half.

She was still recovering from the shock of waking up the day before to find Edward Black and one of his bodyguards in her hospital room. This encounter she could easily classify as one of the most horrifying experiences of her life. Needless to say, she had felt immense relief when the nurse had walked in and chased away the unknown intruders. However, she had allowed herself to relax and let her guard down only after Anna and Jack had arrived three hours later.

Anna had been visibly distressed and scared after hearing about Black's surprise visit and her concern had only deepened when Jack had revealed his own suspicions regarding Black's intentions and had them confirmed by Elsa minutes later. Not wanting to worry Anna any further, she had acted calm and composed but she wondered if Jack had picked up on her actual emotional state.

While Anna didn't hold back on expressing her fears, Jack had been an enigma. Besides the anger he had displayed when Elsa had explained to him what Black had told her, he'd shown no other emotion. She had been unable to read him even after he'd come back in the evening to stay with her and make sure she was safe. In all honesty, she had actually been surprised that he'd decided to spend the night there. After all, he _had_ cheated on her and surely she didn't mean much to him anymore, pregnant or not.

The thought choked her and she felt her eyes sting with tears.

After Anna and Kristoff had headed home, she'd been left alone with Jack for the first time since she'd been admitted to the hospital and in all the years that she'd known him she had never felt so nervous around him. For the first time in their relationship, she had had no idea what to expect of him. Initially, she had anticipated he would start asking her questions. In fact, she had been prepared for a fight. Yet, even though he'd addressed her directly and asked her how she felt, their interaction had been short and tense.

Whether it had been her terse answer to his question or his lack of desire to talk to her that had thrown him off, she didn't know, but he'd made no effort to continue the conversation. He hadn't even updated her on the situation with Black. He'd just pulled the chair away from her bed and sat down. Then he'd devoted his entire attention to his phone, completely ignoring her presence, which had made her feel both relieved _and_ neglected. On the one hand, she had been happy that he'd chosen not to take the opportunity to ask her any more questions. There was plenty they needed to discus and none of it was something Elsa was looking forward to. On the other hand, she had remained restless and eager to know what had made the contents of his phone so much more important than her. Equally unsettling had been his tone when he had curtly ordered her to eat the unappetizing hospital food the nurse had brought in. The coldness in his voice had pierced her heart and, wanting to conceal that from him, she had focused her attention on her dinner. The lack of interaction between her and Jack after the doctor had dropped by later on had suggested that it might be a good idea to just ignore Jack and try to get some rest. Eventually she had fallen asleep only to wake up some time later to the smell of the most disgusting yet mouthwatering food currently in existence – Jack's horrid sandwiches. She had struggled to resist the temptation but her craving had been stronger than her will and she had asked him to share. It had immediately made an impression on her that his attitude towards her had softened a little and the coldness in his voice had vanished. That had confused her but also encouraged her to finally address the elephant in the room, even though her attempt had ultimately proved unsuccessful, as Jack had refused to start a discussion.

Nevertheless, unresolved issues aside, she had to admit she'd felt relieved Jack had decided to stay the night at the hospital. Having him there had given her a sense of security – one that only he could provide – and she'd managed to relax and let go of the fear that she might wake up to unwelcome visitors again.

In the morning, they had been woken up at 7:30 am by the nurse who had come to inform them that the doctor would be stopping by to examine Elsa one last time before they released her. While the examination had been thorough, luckily it hadn't lasted long and by 9:30 am Elsa had been officially discharged. With some assistance from the nurse, she had put on the clean clothes Jack had brought her and ran a brush through her hair. In the meantime, Jack had made a phone call to Anna, letting her know everything was okay and asking her to meet them directly at their apartment for efficiency and convenience purposes. From what he'd later explained, Anna hadn't been very happy about it but she had agreed, saying she would drop by around lunchtime. Even though Elsa had been somewhat grateful that he'd taken the initiative to prevent Anna from going to the hospital, his actions had been a double-edged sword. While she hadn't had to deal with an overly worried and protective Anna from morning, she had once again been left alone with Jack and she hadn't been able to suppress the anxious feeling which had settled in her chest when he'd led her out of the hospital. Once seated in his car, she had realized the courage she had previously felt had deserted her and she'd found herself questioning whether she was indeed prepared for the pending conversation she and Jack were bound to have eventually. Fortunately, Jack had suggested she sat in the backseat, so she wouldn't have to wear a seatbelt which would have likely pressed on her still healing bruises. This and the fact that he'd driven in silence had helped her calm down and reassure herself that things would just fall into place in the end… however that end turned out to be.

Twenty minutes later, they had arrived home and suddenly reality had struck her like a speeding truck, as Jack's words from the night before floated back in her mind. Quickly, she'd realized that while the hospital hadn't been the place for them to discuss their relationship, their home was the perfect stage. Panicking, she'd hurried in the bathroom in a desperate attempt to evade Jack once more.

Elsa let out another sigh and opened her eyes. She knew that sooner or later she would have to confront him. The problem was she doubted she would ever be ready for it. Frowning, she finished bathing and stepped out of the shower cabin. She grabbed a towel from the bathroom cupboard and dried herself, wincing when she accidentally pressed too hard on one of the bruises. She hung the towel to dry and slipped into the bathrobe she'd prepared prior to her shower. She tied the sash and paused. Turning to look at the closed door – the only thing standing between her and Jack – she felt her heartbeat quicken. Knowing she had no excuse to stay locked in the bathroom, she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for whatever might come her way. Reluctantly, she opened the door and exited, heading towards the living room.

* * *

Jack leaned tiredly against the window frame and looked at the snow-covered street outside the apartment building. He was glad that Elsa's final medical examination had gone well and that she had been released from the hospital with only the doctor's advice to rest, eat properly and stick to her prenatal check-ups. While she had been getting dressed and ready to leave, he'd slipped out of the room to call Anna and ask her to come directly to their place, happy when she hadn't protested despite the disappointment in her voice. Then he'd called Bunny, letting him know they were leaving the hospital.

The drive home had been spent in uncomfortable silence. He hadn't been able to shake off the uneasiness he'd felt when Elsa had told him that they needed to talk. He'd been surprised that she'd actually made the first step towards addressing the issue and he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't been eager to hear what she'd had to say. However, much as he'd wanted to have that discussion with her, he'd felt that the more pressing issue at the moment had been Pitch and so for the rest of the trip his thoughts had been occupied by his upcoming meeting.

However, the moment he and Elsa had arrived home, the topic about the baby had once again surfaced in his mind and he'd felt tempted to start questioning her. As if sensing his intentions, Elsa had rushed in the shower, where she had spent the past half an hour. He was certain that she was avoiding him and that annoyed him.

Perhaps amplified by stress, his irritation was escalating with every passing minute and he felt something inside of him snap when he heard the bathroom door open followed by Elsa's footsteps drawing near.

* * *

Elsa stopped when she reached the doorway and saw Jack, standing by one of the large windows and looking outside. When he made no indication that he'd heard her coming, she glanced at the bedroom door mere meters away from her, wondering if she would be able to slip in the bedroom unnoticed. Debating for a couple of moments, she decided to try and headed in that direction.

"How long have you known?" she heard and froze, a small gasp escaping her lips.

She turned to look at Jack who was still gazing out the window. She could feel the weight of his question crushing her, as she became aware of what exactly he was referring to. Her mind frantically searched for an answer, but in the end she remained silent. She just wrapped her arms around herself and shifted her eyes to the ground.

Not receiving and answer to his question, Jack frowned and turned around. His heart sank when he saw her standing her, looking so fragile. His initial urge was to just go to her and pull her into a protective hug that he was sure both of them needed right now. However, his instinct was quickly clouded by misguided anger fueled by stress and frustration and he found himself overcome by the need to find out why she'd tried to hide her pregnancy from him.

"How long, Elsa?" he demanded louder.

Elsa flinched at the harshness in his voice. Her head snapped up and she looked at him wide-eyed. She'd never heard him talk like that, not to anyone let alone her. She shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of his stare. She could tell he was angry and it scared her. She wanted to run from him and that troubled her even more. She looked in his unblinking eyes and gulped. Deciding it would be best to answer, she spoke.

"I-I found out the day we left for Kristoff's villa," she stammered in a barely audible voice, looking down again.

Jack let out a breath, narrowing his eyes. "You've known for a month and you didn't tell me?"

He watched as she took a step back and closed her eyes, taking a shaky breath. It seemed that now when they were completely alone her courage to talk to him had evaporated as opposed to his desire for information, which had intensified since the start of their conversation. Her reluctance to speak was only making matters worse and he wondered if a different approach would help. He brought a hand to his forehead and rubbed it tiredly. Then he sighed deeply, trying to flush the anger out of his system.

"Listen," he started again, his eyes locking onto Elsa. "I… I'm not even going to ask what you've considered a good enough reason to leave our home in the middle of the night, while I was asleep, then get into the car of a man you _know_ is no good, risking both your own life and the baby's. All I want to know right now is why you hid from me that you are pregnant. Why…?" he asked quietly and waited patiently for her response but, when once again she refused to reply, he lost control of his temper and anger took hold of him again. "ANSWER ME!"

Elsa gasped and her eyes shot up, as Jack's loud voice echoed off the walls of the living room. The fierce drumming of her heart against her ribcage was making it increasingly hard for her to breathe and remain calm, as she stared at a side of Jack she didn't suspect existed. His aggressive attitude towards her startled her and she almost couldn't believe this was him standing in front of her. Never in the whole duration of their relationship had she witnessed or expected him to act the way he was now. Then again, she hadn't expected him to cheat on her either. Apparently, there were many things about Jack she didn't know.

The sudden memory of Jack's infidelity sparked something inside of her and she realized that Jack had no right to treat her as if she was the one at fault. Ultimately, _his_ actions had been the reason why she'd ended up in the hospital. If it hadn't been for _his_ actions they wouldn't even be having this conversation. As that thought took shape in her mind, she felt a new wave of courage wash over her. She straightened up and tilted her chin up, assuming a more defiant posture, getting ready to fight back. She looked him in the eye and hesitated, taking a moment to consider her words. Then she spoke.

"Because…" she started, pausing for only a second to gather up all her strength to finally deliver the answer Jack so keenly sought. "Because I wasn't sure I want to keep it."

Jack stared at her unable to believe what he'd just heard. Brief as Elsa's reply had been, it carried a crystal-clear meaning – a meaning that instantly broke his heart and shattered his perception of life as he knew it. In all the years that he'd known Elsa, he could have never imagined that she was capable of knowingly hurting him. Yet, here she was – the woman he worshipped and who, he'd thought, reciprocated his feelings, the woman who knew how much he longed to have kids of his own – outright telling him that she'd found out she was pregnant and not only had she hiden it from him but she'd also considered having an abortion without his knowledge.

"And you didn't think I should know about it?" he asked. "You didn't think that _I_ had a say in this, since this is _my_ child too?" When she didn't answer, he let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "How can you be so selfish, Elsa?"

Surprised by his insolent response, Elsa almost laughed. "_I_ am selfish?" she questioned sharply, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, you are!" he shouted. "That baby is not only yours – it's mine too! I've had just as much to do with creating it as you have. You have absolutely no right even considering having an abortion without telling me about the baby first! This is a decision we're supposed to make together as a couple! We're in a fucking relationship, Elsa! We have been for the past five years, in case you haven't noticed! And people in a relationship consult each other before they make life-altering changes." He paused and took a deep breath, his expression changing from angry to disheartened. "If… If my opinion is worth anything to you right now," he resumed somewhat calmer, "I'd like you to know that I want us to keep the baby."

Elsa narrowed her eyes and shook her head incredulously, as she wondered just how much more impudent Jack could get. "Do you even understand what you're asking of me, Jack?" she finally said.

"I'm asking you to give me a chance to have my own family again," Jack replied loudly, throwing his hands in the air.

"No! You're asking me to quit school, give up on my dreams and stay at home raising your bastard child, while _you_ chase after the skirts of my little sister's classmates!" she spat, matching his scowling expression.

"…What?" Jack managed, not at all sure what exactly she was trying to say and evidently hurt by her harsh choice of words.

"There's no reason to keep on pretending, Jack. I know everything," she replied, this time in a softer, tired voice.

Jack frowned in confusion. "Elsa, I don't understand… What are you talking about?" he asked.

Elsa sighed heavily, shaking her head, as a bitter smile spread across her dry lips. She had to give him credit – he really did give the impression he was oblivious. She would have believed him if she hadn't actually witnessed his unfaithfulness with her own two eyes.

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Preparing herself, she took a deep breath, before she opened her eyes and focused on him again. "I saw you, Jack… the other night at the bar."

He gazed at her still quite confused, trying to recall the events from a couple of nights ago, but before any particular memory could surface in his mind, Elsa spoke again.

"I've always know that you love children and I kind of expected you would want to have your own one day. Honestly, I want that too. But when I found out I was pregnant, I was shocked and scared because I wasn't ready. It messed up my plans for the future. While I see myself having kids, I've always imagined it would be later on in my life – once I've established a carrier. However, I suspected that for you it wouldn't matter if you'll have kids sooner or later. I knew that you'd be happy anyway. That's why I spent a long time dwelling on the issue and in the end decided it would be best if I didn't tell you and had an abortion without you ever finding out I was pregnant in the first place. Then when I was ready we could try having another baby," she said, noting Jack was obviously taken aback by her words. "And then Bunny found out. I tried to explain my reasoning to him but he was adamant that I have to tell you and threatened he would do it himself if I refused. I was left with no other choice, so I decided to tell you after the game on Friday. I was going to explain my fears to you and hoped that together we'd make the best decision."

Jack nodded, patiently listening as Elsa finally revealed everything she'd withheld from him.

"When we came home after the game, I was getting ready to tell you," she admitted. "But just when I started talking, your phone rang and as you answered it all my courage drained away, so I ended up lying to you and insisted you went and celebrated with your teammates. After you left, I spent two hours beating myself up for cowering and in the end I made up my mind and decided to go to the pub and talk to you." She watched as Jack's eyes widened in realization and she felt her heart rate escalating as she reached the final part of her confession. She recalled what she had witnessed that night and her eyes started welling up, but she willed herself not to cry. Drawing a deep, shaky breath, she spoke again. "I saw you kiss that girl… Punzie or whatever her name is."

Jack's stomach dropped when he heard the dreaded sentence leave Elsa's lips. His mind replayed with lightning speed all the events from that Friday night. He felt like his heart was about to burst when he placed Elsa into the whole story and finally pieced things together, catching onto what exactly she had seen and how it must have looked to her. Like a shot, everything became clear to him and Elsa's strange behavior finally made sense. Luckily, it was all one big misunderstanding. Elsa had only jumped to conclusions and all he had to do to fix this mess was to explain everything to her.

He took a deep breath and spoke. "Elsa, listen to me," he began in a soft voice and made a step forward, which only made her move back. He watched as she hugged herself once again and looked at him with watery eyes. "Let me explain- "

"Explain what, Jack?" she asked. "That you cheated on me?"

"Elsa, I haven't cheated on you!" he reasoned. "Please, just let me tell you what happened!"

Elsa's arms dropped to her sides and she shook her head. She couldn't believe how, even though she had caught him red-handed, he was still trying to feed her lies and weasel his way out of it. "There's nothing for you to tell! I _saw_ you kiss that girl! I _saw_ you leave the pub with her!"

"Elsa, please-" Jack tried again only to be cut off.

"Was she your first, Jack?" she spat, tears now streaming freely down her face. "Or just one of many?"

"No…" Jack whispered unable to believe she'd actually spoken those words. "I haven't cheated! Please believe me! I only took her ho-"

It was Elsa's strangled cry that interrupted him this time. Before he could reach out and grab her, she turned around and ran in the bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind her.

"Baby, please!" he begged, coming to stand in front of the closed bedroom and probing the door handle. "You need to listen to me! I didn't cheat on you! Please open the door. Let me tell you what happened! Elsa!"

Elsa slid to the floor. She could hear Jack's voice on the other side of the door, begging her to let him explain. A small part of her wanted to hear what he had to say but her rational self knew she had enough proof of what he'd done and so she refused to listen to him. Burying her head in her hands, she succumbed to her emotions and the uncontrollable sobs spread through her body.

In the distance, the door bell rang.

* * *

**A/N: They talked... somewhat.**

**Special thanks to Wickedgreenphantom for helping me out with some parts of the chapter :)**


	20. Chapter 20

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****DISCLAIMER:**** I don****'t own any of the characters or their respective stories.****

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* * *

****GIVE IT A CHANCE****

Chapter 20

Jack frowned when the sound of the doorbell reached his ears, interrupting his attempts to get through to Elsa. For a split second he considered ignoring it in favor of persuading Elsa to open the bedroom door but quickly abandoned the thought, when he remembered Anna was due to arrive around lunchtime.

"Anna!" he whispered and glanced in the direction of the front door.

His mind flashed back to the night at the pub and he quickly recalled Anna's role in his and Elsa's current mess and realized she might also become the solution to it.

With another brief look at the bedroom door, he rushed towards the front door of the apartment, silently praying his salvation was indeed standing on the other side of it. He flung the door open, just as the doorbell sounded for the second time, and found himself face to face with Anna, Bunny and Tia.

"Thank God!" he breathed and reached out, grabbing Anna's arm and pulling her inside. "You have to help me!"

Anna gasped, as he dragged her in, and frowned at the distress written on his features. "Jack, what's going on? Did something happen? Is Elsa okay?" she asked worriedly and glanced at Bunny and Tia, who shared her look of concern.

"Elsa… she… You have to explain to her! She refuses to listen! I tried to tell her what happened but she just won't hear me out!" Jack blurted in desperation.

"Whoa, mate, calm down," Bunny said, as he followed Tia inside the entry hall and placed the bags of groceries they'd brought on the floor. "What happened?"

Jack looked at their confused, uneasy expressions and paused. Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady his heartbeat before he spoke again, this time more coherently.

"It's Elsa… she thinks I cheated on her," he explained and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What!?" the three of them exclaimed in unison.

"What do you mean 'she thinks you cheated on her'?" Anna repeated, looking at him. "Where in the world did that come from?"

"Friday night at the pub," he stated, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Apparently Elsa was going to tell me about the baby after all," he added and directed his eyes at Bunny, who stared at him.

In a couple of minutes, Jack had recounted the whole story of how Elsa had gone to the pub and seen him get kissed by Anna's classmate, after which she'd witnessed him getting in a taxi with the girl.

"Long story short, she jumped to conclusions and thought I cheated on her. Angry and hurt, she decided to punish me by having an abortion, which is why she left the apartment in the middle of the night, consequently getting assaulted by that son of a bitch," he finished, looking at his friends' shocked faces.

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," Bunny remarked.

Jack nodded. "I tried telling her what exactly happened that night but she shut me out," he said and turned to Anna. "You have to tell you sister I didn't cheat on her! You have to explain to her - she'll listen to you," he begged, grasping her shoulders.

Not waiting for her response, Jack turned around and grabbed her hand, tugging her towards the bedroom. He'd barely made a step forward, when Bunny's large hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Jack, wait," Bunny said and flinched at the piercing look Jack gave him.

"What?" Jack snapped annoyed.

"Listen," Bunny started in a calm voice. "I know you're stressed out about this but you can't deal with it right now. There are more pressing issues."

"There's absolutely nothing more important than Elsa, her and the baby's wellbeing and our relationship. There never was, there never will be," he snarled and glared at him.

Bunny recoiled at the sharpness in his best friend's voice. Then he narrowed his eyes, getting ready to reply and beat some sense into him, when Tia spoke.

"Jack, Bunny is right," she piped in. "On the way here, he explained the whole situation to us. Anna and I know about the threat this man, Edward Black, poses not only to you and Elsa but to all of us." She paused, assuming a softer attitude and stepped closer to Jack, resting a hand on his upper arm. "Sweetie, I know you're terrified that you might lose Elsa. It's understandable, especially given the present circumstances and tension. But I have to agree with Bunny on this one – right now you have a bigger fish to fry. You need to go and confront this man."

Jack looked at her and, after a moment of consideration, he let out a heavy sigh and released Anna's hand from his grip. He glanced in the direction of the bedroom and his stance relaxed.

"I can't leave now," he murmured and turned to look at Tia. "She's upset… She's crying… I… I need to fix this, Tia. I can't just leave her like this. I-"

"Jack," Anna interrupted. "Even with us here, I doubt my sister would want to face you let alone listen to anything you have to say. Not the way she is now anyway. It's better if you leave and let Tia and me deal with Elsa. We'll convince her to come out and help her calm down. I know what happened that night at the bar and I have proof you didn't cheat on her. Right now she's hormonal, scared and hurt. But I promise you - I'll explain everything to her and by the time you come back she would have had enough time to think things through and put her feelings in order. She'll understand that you didn't do anything wrong and that she took what she saw out of context."

Jack looked at her, contemplating her words. Oh the one hand, his friends were right – in her current emotional state, Elsa was unlikely to listen to him even with Anna there to confirm the truth. On top of that, his meeting with Pitch was mere hours away and he hated to agree that ultimately Pitch was a more serious problem at the moment. On the other hand, he couldn't bear the thought of leaving Elsa's side, when she was so distraught, in the best of times, and right now she was in danger too. The last time he'd left her alone she'd had a terrifying experience and he couldn't allow himself to put her thought something like this ever again.

As if reading his mind, Bunny broke the silence.

"Mate, Elsa won't be alone," he said reassuringly. "Tia and Anna will be here and they're going to take care of her and make sure she's alright and protected."

"Yes," Tia nodded. "We'll lock the door, we won't let anyone inside until you come back and we'll call you if need be."

"And while you're away, we'll talk to Elsa and explain what happened on Friday night," Anna added.

Jack looked at them and then at the bedroom door. He hesitated for another moment and then sighed in defeat.

"Okay," he replied, running a hand through his tousled hair. "But you need to promise me that you'll call me if anything happens."

"We promise, Jack. Everything will be fine," Tia replied and gave him a smile.

"Mate, sorry but we really gotta go," Bunny urged.

Jack nodded and gathered his phone and keys from the little table by the front door. Then he turned towards Anna and Tia.

"If anything happens – no matter what – call me," he ordered and waited for them to nod.

Then, with one last look at the interior of the apartment, he opened the front door and stepped out, followed by Bunny.

* * *

Drowned in emotion, Elsa didn't realize Jack's pleas had ceased until the doorbell had rung for a second time, followed by the sound of muffled voices coming from the entry hall. Tilting her head up, she failed to stifle the powerful sob that escaped her lips, as she strained her ears and tried to figure out who Jack was talking to. However, all she could hear was hushed mumbling which continued for a few minutes before the front door opened and closed again and the apartment fell silent. A moment later, she heard footsteps drawing near and her heartbeat quickened as she prepared herself for another fight with Jack.

She took a deep, shaky breath just as the footsteps stopped, followed by a knock on the door.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to hear any more of your lies!" she cried. Her eyes welled up again and she buried her face in her hands. "Just… leave."

"Elsa, it's me," came Anna's soft voice, causing Elsa to gasp and look up. "Please open the door."

Suddenly, Elsa was overcome by a sense of relief, like a soldier who had finally found an ally in the enemy's camp. Anna had come to her aid, to help her get away from Jack and the whole nightmare she was in. Slowly, she rose to her feet and turned around, tentatively placing hand on the door handle. She was just about to unlock the door and open it, when it occurred to her that she had no way of knowing if Jack wasn't actually outside, having used her sister as a way to trick her into coming out. As the thought took shape in her mind, she retracted her hand and stepped back. Her eyes settled on the door and she hugged herself, falling into desperation again.

Not surprisingly, Anna sensed her hesitation and doubt and spoke again from the other side of the door.

"Elsa, please come out," she said. "Jack left. It's just Tia and me. Please, we're worried about you…"

Hearing this, Elsa found herself wondering what exactly had been said at the entry hall when her sister and Tia had arrived and what could have possibly made Jack leave, given that mere minutes earlier he'd been dead set on convincing her he hadn't cheated.

Another pleading call from Anna attracted her attention and she bit her lip, taking a moment to consider whether to trust her sister. Finally making the decision, she took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped forward. Her fingers wrapped around the handle and she unlocked the door. She opened it cautiously, just about enough to be able see a worried Anna standing in front of her before she surveyed her surroundings, registering that indeed the only other person there besides her sister was Tia. Once she made sure the three of them were alone, her emotions took hold of her again and, before she knew it, she had regressed to a sobbing mess.

"A-An-na-a-a-a," she cried like a small child for its mother, as she emerged from the bedroom and allowed herself to be pulled into her sister's tight embrace.

"Shh… shh… It's okay, I'm here now," Anna cooed and gently patted Elsa's back.

"He cheated on me, Anna! He betrayed me!" Elsa sobbed, burying her damp face in her sister's shoulder.

Anna threw a concerned look at Tia, who mirrored her expression. Then she sighed and carefully pulled back to look at Elsa.

"We should get you dressed and dry your hair before you catch a cold. Then we can talk," she spoke softly. Not waiting for Elsa's reply, she turned to Tia. "Could you please make some hot chocolate?"

Tia nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the two sisters alone. Anna led Elsa back into the bedroom, where she helped her dry up and put some clothes on.

Fifteen minutes later, the three girls were sitting on the couch, each holding a mug of sweet hot chocolate with marshmallows. Anna and Tia sat on either side of Elsa, patiently waiting for her to talk.

"I…" Elsa whispered. "I found out I was pregnant the day we left for our Christmas vacation," she explained, feeling the need to finally get everything off her chest.

Tia and Anna shared a look but, seeing that it was already difficult for Elsa to talk, they remained silent, not wanting to interrupt her.

"I was shocked and terrified…" Elsa continued. "For the whole duration of our stay at the villa, I was trying to figure out how exactly I feel about the baby and I was also debating whether to tell Jack. I mean… I… I want a baby with him. I wanted…" she said and paused, as her own words sank in her for her and she felt the familiar burning sensation at the back of her throat when she tried to suppress her tears. Unfortunately, her body refused to obey and, unable to control herself, she let out a pained wail.

Quick to react, Tia took the cup of hot chocolate out of Elsa's hands, while Anna wrapped her arms around her sister, rocking her back and forth, and whispered words of comfort.

"I-I wasn't ready," Elsa spoke through hiccups. "B-But I knew he w-would be crushed if… if I told him I was considering an a-abortion. S-So, I decided t-to go behind his back. B-But then… then Bunny found o-ut and confronted m-me, saying he'd tell J-ack if… if I refused t-to tell him about the baby myself. He p-pressured me e-even though I ex-plained my reasons to h-im." She paused and tried to compose herself but it was of little avail. "In t-the end, I realiz-ed he was right and I was about to t-tell Jack on F-riday after the g-game. I w-was going to but my ne-rves got t-the best of m-me, so I lied to him that I wasn't f-feeling well and told him to go without me. I s-spent two h-hours scolding myself and I gathered all m-my courage to f-finally tell him. I went to the p-pub and I was looking for h-him and then… and then… I saw him. I saw him kiss her! I saw him leave the b-bar with her! H-He cheated on me!" A new wave of sobs tumbled from her lips and she buried her face in the crook of Anna's neck.

Anna ran her hand soothingly up and down Elsa's back and sighed heavily. "This is all my fault," she murmured more to herself than anybody else. "If only I hadn't been that selfish…"

Confused, Elsa pulled away and looked at her sister with tear-filled eyes. "W-What are you talking a-about?" she sniffled. "How can it be your fault that he ch-cheated on me… even if… if it was wi-with your classmate?"

Anna looked at her and then glanced at Tia who nodded encouragingly.

"Elsa," she began. "Jack didn't cheat on you."

Elsa stared at her and frowned, wondering what her sister was getting at. She found herself questioning whether Jack hadn't somehow managed to convince Anna of his lies. Before she realized it, she had re-assumed her earlier defensive attitude and she eyed her sister with suspicion.

"You can't know that. You weren't there," she said slowly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But _I_ was and I _saw_ him with my own two eyes – he kissed that girl and got into a taxi with her! Why are you defending him?" she asked sharply and jumped to her feet, moving to stand a few steps away from the couch.

"Elsa, I _was_ there," Anna replied, casting a worried look at her. "And I'm defending him because he hasn't done anything wrong." She stood up and tried to approach Elsa, but when her sister stepped back, she decided it was best to remain in her spot. "Kristoff and I were sitting in a secluded booth at the back of the pub and we were... uh… we were making out. Then Jack came with a very drunk Punzie leaning onto him. He told me that he was talking to her pretty much out of politeness and then she went and kissed him. I felt really bad about it because I was the one who brought her there in the first place. So, I was about to take her home, when Jack suggested he did that instead. He said he was planning on going home to you anyway and-"

"And how exactly does this prove he didn't have sex with her?" Elsa interrupted loudly.

Anna sighed and grabbed her purse from the couch. She dug into it and pulled out her phone. Then she tapped on the screen a few times and handed the phone to Elsa, who just raised an eyebrow.

"Please read this," Anna begged.

Hesitating, Elsa took the phone out of her sister's hand. She looked at the screen and saw a text. She frowned and glanced at Anna, who nodded. Sighing, she started reading.

'_OMG! I thought you were just messing with me, when you called and said Jack Frost was bringing Punzie home. But you weren't! Oh God, I still can't believe it – Jack Frost at my doorstep! If Punzie wasn't passing out, I would have totally asked him to sign my _Guardians_ jersey! Anyway, he just left and I need to put this drunk in her bed. I'll see you in class._

_~Merida'_

Elsa gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth, as the new piece of information sank in.

"That message was sent to me fifteen minutes after Jack left with Punzie. He was in the taxi, on his way home, when he realized he didn't have his phone with, so he decided to go back to the pub and let me know Punzie was fine. He stayed for a while longer and headed home to you," Anna explained further and fell silent for a moment, when Elsa shifted her gaze to look at her. Furrowing her brow, Anna took a tentative step forward. "I'm so sorry, Elsa! It really is all my fault. Kristoff and I hadn't properly spent time with each other since New Year's and I was so infatuated at this point. Jack must have noticed this and decided to let us enjoy ourselves a little bit longer. That's why he offered to take Punzie home. I should have stepped up and taken responsibility for Punzie's behavior since I was the one who brought her to the bar."

She paused to let Elsa absorb what she'd just told her. She noticed that her sister's posture had relaxed a little and that encouraged her to continue.

"Elsa, Jack would never cheat on you. He loves you – no, scratch that – he _worships_ you. He always has. I remember when I first met him… when I was 13. It was on a Saturday and I was out with Mom and Dad. You stayed home to work on a project, or so you had us believe. We ended up coming home earlier than expected and Dad walked in on you two curled up in your bed, watching a movie." She smiled a little at the memory. "Dad was livid! Not only had you lied to him about your school project but you'd snuck an unknown nineteen-year-old boy into your room. You had a lot of explaining to do back then, but I remember that evening I overheard Dad telling Mom that Jack seemed more like a love-struck puppy who would follow you anywhere and do anything for you than somebody who'd take advantage of you. And Dad was right – Jack watched your every movement with fascination and gave you his full attention whenever you spoke, as if there was nothing more important than your words or more beautiful than the sound of your voice. He still does that, Elsa. Jack is and has always been utterly in love with you and everybody knows it. You're the only person who somehow fails to fully comprehend this even now after knowing him for 14 years. Everything that he does is for you. He-"

Elsa's strangled cry interrupted her and her eyes widened as her sister sank to the ground, clutching the phone to her chest. Anna glanced at Tia, who seemed just as concerned, and both of them rushed to Elsa. Kneeling next to her, Anna pulled her into a hug while Tia rubbed soothing circles on Elsa's back.

"What have I done!" Elsa cried in a strained voice and her uncontrollable sobs filled the air.

"It's okay… Let it out," Anna cooed.

"The things that I s-said to him! I w-was horrible!" she hiccupped.

"That may be so, but you were also confused, hormonal and stressed out. It's understandable that you would be upset under such circumstances and when people are angry they often say things they don't really mean," Anna reasoned, looking at her.

"That's true," Tia confirmed softly. "You should hear Bunny and me when we fight – one moment we're on the verge of breaking up, the next – we're back to pet names and baby talk."

Elsa suppressed a sob and pushed off Anna's chest, freeing herself from the hug. She straightened up a little and took a deep shaky breath.

"Y-You don't under-understand," she said through tears and shook her head. "I… I called the b-baby a bastard! I-I hit h-im whe-re it hurts most!"

"Oh Elsa…" Anna whispered with pity.

There was a long silence disturbed only by Elsa's occasional sniffles.

"I… I n-need to see him," Elsa suddenly said, somewhat calmer.

Without a warning, she rose from the floor, surprising both Anna and Tia. The two girls exchanged a glance and jumped to their feet.

"Where is Jack?" she inquired with urgency and looked around.

"He… uh…" Anna stammered and looked at Tia in panic.

"Jack went out with Bunny, sweety," Tia replied quickly, knowing that they could not reveal to Elsa what exactly Jack was up to at the moment.

Elsa bit her lip. "I… I need to call him," she decided and looked at Anna's phone still in her hand. "I need to tell him… to apologize for what I said… I…I "

Before she could finish her sentence, Elsa had unlocked the phone and started browsing for Jack's number. Thankfully, Tia was quick to react. Walking over to Elsa, she swiftly took the phone out of Elsa's hands and gave it back to Anna. Then she gripped Elsa's shoulders gently and forced the younger girl to focus on her.

"That might not be a good idea, honey," She said softly. "Both you and Jack are overwhelmed at the moment and need to unwind a little before you discuss this issue again. It's better if you spend some time away from each other. That's why tonight Jack will stay with Bunny and Anna and I are going to stay with you."

Elsa looked at her ready to protest but Tia's warm and reassuring smile stopped her. She had to agree – the fight with Jack and the continuous crying that had followed had left her exhausted and now that she realized what a mistake she'd made, she suspected how Jack was probably feeling. While she wanted nothing more than to fix the situation immediately, admittedly letting things cool off was the better option.

Sighing, she nodded. "Okay," she said and reached up to wipe away a few remaining tears. "You're right – Jack and I need some time."

Tia's smile grew winder and she pulled Elsa into a hug. "Until then Anna and I are here for you!"

* * *

Several hours later, the three girls sat on the couch curled up under a warm blanket. After Elsa had calmed down, Tia and Anna had set about to prepare lunch. When they were done eating, Elsa had decided to take a nap, drained of energy by all the emotions and eager to relax in a familiar setting. She'd woken up just before dinner and now the three of them were enjoying the latest chick flick.

"So," Tia spoke and turned to Elsa as the credits of the movie rolled. "Are you feeling a bit better?"

"Yes," Elsa replied with a small smile. "Thank you both for everything!"

"You don't have to thank us. That's the least we can do for you and Jack right now," Tia replied and squeezed her hand.

"Exactly. Plus, you're my sister and I'll always take care of you," Anna added with a wink.

Elsa turned to her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "What would I do without you," she said softly.

"You know I would support you no matter what decision you made about Jack and the baby," Anna said and returned the hug.

Hearing this Elsa stiffened and pulled away. Silently, she leaned against the back of the couch and looked down, gently placing a hand on her belly. All of a sudden, she realized that, with all that had happened, she had forgotten about the baby. Before neither Tia nor Anna could react, Elsa's eyes had filled with tears and she clasped a hand over her mouth to muffle a sob.

"Oh… me and my big mouth!" Anna scolded herself, when she realized what she had just said. "I'm so sorry, Elsa! I shouldn't have mentioned the baby…"

"No… T-That's o-okay," Elsa managed to say and shook her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and pursed her lips in a futile attempt to suppress the sobs. "I just d-don't know wha-what to do," she cried.

"What do you mean, honey?" Tia asked softly, placing a hand on Elsa's shoulder to comfort her.

Elsa let out a couple of soft sobs and took a shaky breath. "W-Well, today wa-was the f-first time Jack con-fronted m-me about the b-baby and… and he sa-id he... he… he wants it."

"But this is a good thing, isn't it?" Tia said smiling but her smile slowly faded, when she understood what exactly her friend meant. "Elsa, do _you_ want to keep the baby?"

"I don't kno-ow," Elsa wailed, a fresh stream of tears coming down her reddened cheeks. "There are s-so many thi-ings that I wanted t-to do before I even started to think o-of having a family. And now…. And now it's all ruined!"

Tia looked at Elsa's shaking form and sighed. "Sweety listen," she started. "Neither one of us can tell you what's right or wrong in this situation and whether you keep the baby or not is yours and Jack's decision to make. But let me tell you my personal opinion on this – having a baby doesn't mean that you will never be able to do the things that you wanted to do. Yeah, sure – it might delay your plans but it doesn't have to be end of them. And think about it – you won't be alone in this because Jack will be here for you. He already told you he wants the baby and you know how great he is with kids. I mean, if he takes such good care of the kids at the skating school, how do you think he'll be with his own child? And you will always be able to count on us," she finished and looked at Anna, who nodded approvingly.

"Yup, I second that," Anna replied. "Not to mention that, whether you choose to have it now or in a few years, your baby will be the cutest little thing ever!"

"H-How can you be so sure? What if the baby is u-ugly?" Elsa asked.

"Seriously…?" Anna replied unamused and cocked an eyebrow. "Have you looked at Jack recently? Or at yourself for that matter? If anything, this baby pulled the winning ticket out of the gene pool."

Elsa laughed slightly through her tears. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to look at Tia.

"Elsa, you are young and you will most likely have the chance to get pregnant again," the older girl said. "But make sure you think this through before you make your decision."

"Yes, I know," Elsa sighed and looked at her stomach. "I guess I'll have to hear what Jack has to say too…"

* * *

Jack groaned and ran a hand through his hair as he completed yet another circle in the middle of Kristoff's living room. After they'd left his apartment earlier that day, he'd been unable to calm down. The thought of Elsa's distraught state had plagued his mind and it hadn't been until Tia had called two hours later that he'd been able to finally take a breath. He'd talked to her and she's explained that Elsa was now aware of what exactly had happened on Friday and she had been eager to talk to him. She'd even attempted to call him. However, with Anna's help, Tia had convinced her to give it some more time and rest instead. The relief he'd felt had been indescribable and he could have never fully expressed the gratitude he'd felt towards his friends at that particular moment.

Knowing Elsa was feeling better had given him some peace of mind and enabled him to concentrate on the menace that he had to deal with. The problem was that he still had no plan.

"Mate, you're making me dizzy," Bunny called and snapped him out of his thoughts. "I think we have more important things to do than attempting to make a hole in the floor."

He turned to look at his friends who were sitting on the couch. "Sorry," he muttered and moved to sit on the armchair opposite of them.

"So," Kristoff said. "We've pretty much discarded every plan we've come up with so far and we have three hours until your meeting with Pitch. We're out of options. What do we do?"

Jack leaned back in the chair and relaxed, rubbing his chin in thought. He knew that in order to take on a man like Pitch they needed a solid plan. However, the three of them had spent the afternoon going over every possible alternative of how to deal with him and so far all their ideas had had serious flaws. He was starting to feel powerless and it was something he could not allow himself.

Suddenly, his eyes fell on the prepaid phone Kristoff had cleverly purchased just in case and a thought formed in his head.

"There is one advantage I have over Pitch," he muttered, causing Bunny and Kristoff to look at him quizzically. "He thinks he has everything under control because he knows my weakness. And for this reason there is one thing he wouldn't expect me to do."

"And what's that?" Bunny asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Taking a risk," Jack stated.

With that he stood up, grabbing the prepaid phone off the table, and dialed a number.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Two more chapters left :) ... I think xD**


	21. Chapter 21

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* * *

****GIVE IT A CHANCE****

Chapter21

Jack shivered. Reaching up, he adjusted the collar of his jacket to shield himself from the harsh winter air and brought his hands to his lips to blow a warm breath onto them. He was rarely bothered by the cold and the fact that he was currently freezing felt like a bad omen which wasn't doing the slightest to improve the already intense situation he was in.

With less than an hour until his meeting with Pitch, he found himself questioning whether the selected course of action had really been the wisest choice, especially since it had been an option that until then he hadn't considered even as a last resort. It was a dangerous path that could lead to either success or fail. There was no middle ground and if anything of what he was about to do went wrong he was risking the safety of all those close to him. The only thing that was preventing his confidence from faltering was that he had the element of surprise on his side. The fact that he was holding onto it like a drowning man to a straw was, however, a different story.

He felt a lump forming in his throat when he noticed the yellow taxi approaching. Another few seconds passed and the car pulled up next to him. Hesitating, he took a deep breath in hopes to steady his erratic heartbeat. Then he opened the door and slid in the backseat.

"Good evening, Mr. Frost," he heard when he pulled the door closed.

Looking up, Jack met the eyes of the driver in the rearview mirror and simply nodded in acknowledgement.

The faint glow of the dashboard controls was barely enough for Jack to fully analyze his present surroundings and company but, from what he could see, the man in question looked to be in his mid-30s. He had light hair and dark eyes and an expression, resembling that of a properly trained customer service employee who would keep their cool in the face of the most serious threats. He seemed like the kind of man who was too dedicated to his job to see the importance of anything else in his life – the kind of man who would keep his eyes on the primary objective and would stop at nothing to complete the task he'd been assigned to, which right now did not sit quite well with Jack.

"I'm Agent Max Greno and I've been put in charge of walking you through the plan for your meeting with Black," the driver added.

"Agent?" Jack repeated, cocking an eyebrow.

The man nodded. "Yes, an agent of the National Investigation Service."

Jack felt his jaw drop a little, as he stared at the other male in disbelief.

When he had called Detective Sandman a couple of hours earlier, he hadn't hoped for much. He'd explained the situation, briefly going over the events following their meeting in North's office the day before. He'd admitted to being contacted by Pitch as well as to the fact that he had considered handling the issue on his own.

Needless to say, the detective hadn't been happy and had reprimanded Jack for practically ruining the mission. The statement had triggered Jack's rage and he'd been quick to remind the detective that this 'mission' he'd supposedly ruined had almost cost his pregnant girlfriend's life and had endangered everybody else close to him. Aware that Jack had all the right reasons to be angry, the detective had backed off and given him the chance to explain the rest.

Jack had then mentioned the advantage he held over Pitch. He'd said that Pitch had done enough to show what he was capable of and what was at stake if the police got involved again. Hence, logic dictated that doing exactly the opposite of what Jack had been warned against – getting in touch with the authorities and consequently putting Elsa's safety on the line once more – would be the last thing Pitch would expect him to do.

After a short deliberation, the detective had agreed with that theory and had inquired for more details regarding the meeting. Recalling that the police were above all interested in getting to Pitch, Jack had elaborated, cleverly mentioning that he had evidence which he would provide in return for Elsa's safety being ensured. He'd explained that if he was going forward with this he couldn't take any chances and the detective had had no other choice but to accept hese terms.

Once Jack had revealed the details, he'd been told to wait for a call. After an agonizing hour and a half, which Jack had spent wondering if he hadn't made the worst possible mistake, the detective had called back and told him that a plan had been set in motion. The only information Jack had received, however, had been that a taxi would pick him up and everything else would be explained to him on the way.

With only one hour before the meeting, Jack had exited Kristoff's apartment building. In the time he'd spent waiting for the promised taxi, he'd wondered what the detective and his team had come up with in such a short time. All sorts of possible scenarios had run through his mind but never in a million years had he imagined that the National Investigation Service would get involved.

"Are you alright, Mr. Frost?" the agent asked, bringing Jack out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah… I am," Jack replied shaking his head slightly. "Sorry, I'm just taken by surprise. I was under the impression this was a local matter, hence handled by the Arendelle Police Department."

"Unfortunately it's not a local matter," the man replied and put the car into gear, slowly easing it onto the road. "Edward Black has been targeting players all over the country and over the past few years the NIS has collaborated closely with police departments in all cities with major ice hockey teams. You haven't been informed about this because Detective Sandman simply had our proxy – his job was to establish contact with players in Arendelle who could potentially be approached by Black but he wasn't authorized to disclose more than what he told you."

Jack spent a brief, quiet moment, trying to wrap his head around the new piece of information. "Let me get this straight," he spoke again. "You've been after Black for several years, trying to build a case against him, but instead of using the capacity of the NIS, you've been relying on the local police to gather evidence and find witnesses for you? On top of that, you withheld information from potential witnesses that could have actually encouraged them to cooperate with you. Don't you think that all these players whom Black has harassed would have been a lot more motivated to help with the investigation if they were aware that it was being conducted by the NIS and not just the police?" he asked incredulously.

"Certainly, but it's not that simple, I'm afraid," the agent replied. "You see, Black is just the tip of the iceberg. His main crimes boil down to abuse, blackmail and foul play – all this with the sole purpose of ensuring his team's success, which as a consequence brings him significant profits. However, none of his little schemes would have worked out if he wasn't so well connected in the upper circles. We're talking corrupt officials of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and even politicians. The central purpose of this mission lies a lot deeper than you think and Edward Black is merely a tool we need to catch a much bigger fish. The reason why we relied on the police to approach players is because we couldn't risk him finding out the actual caliber of the investigation against him."

Jack frowned. What he'd just heard made him even more uneasy than he already was. It was bad enough that Pitch had decided to target him, hurting Elsa and endangering his friends in the process. Still, being dragged into an investigation of such a scale only increased the risk of worse things happening. He needed to know more. Information was his only weapon in the present circumstances and he felt like he was poorly armed.

He took a deep breath and readied himself to speak. To his dismay, that action apparently alerted the agent of his intentions for further questioning and he was sharply cut off.

"I'm afraid this is all I can tell you right now," he said to Jack's disappointment. "Plus, I still need to walk you through the plan for tonight."

Glancing up, Jack briefly caught sight of the agent's eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded.

"First things first," the man began, fixing his gaze on the road. "I've been instructed to let you know that undercover agents have been stationed around the apartment complex you live in and your home is under surveillance. If anybody suspicious approaches your apartment, immediate action will be taken."

It took Jack a couple of seconds to process what this meant and, realizing the detective had kept his side of the deal, he breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing Elsa, Anna and Tia were safe and watched over eased his mind and gave him a small boost of confidence.

Not waiting for his response, the agent carried on. "In the pocket of the seat in front of you, you will find an envelope. Open it," he said and waited for Jack to do what he was told.

Jack followed the order and took out the brownish envelope. It felt surprisingly empty but then again he had no idea what was supposed to be inside. He opened it and spilled its contents into his palm, trying to figure out what exactly it was he was holding. In his hand lay two small pieces of what he presumed was some sort of tech equipment. Both were black and about half the size of a penny. The only difference he could see was that one was rectangular and the other circular.

Noting the curious and slightly puzzled look on Jack's face, the agent resumed talking. "The rectangular chip is a GPS tracking device. It's activated and is already being tracked. There is a significant chance that your meeting point with Black is actually a pick-up point. I'm telling you this so that you wouldn't be surprised and worried if you're taken some place else to meet him. I suggest you put that device inside your shoe – if they search you it's unlikely they would find it there. The other device is a microphone with an inbuilt transmitter. The signal it emits can be picked up as far as one kilometer, which means that we'll be at a constant distance of maximum one kilometer from your location even if you're in a moving vehicle. We will be listening and recording your conversation with Black. The microphone is a bit tricky because it needs to be hidden well enough to not be noticed but exposed enough to pick up the conversation without much disturbance," the agent explained and glanced in the rearview mirror, swiftly examining Jack's attire. "The pull tab of your jacket's zipper would be the best place to attach the microphone given the clothing you're wearing. There is a sticker on the back side, which you should use to attach the device to the underside of the zipper pull tab." Pausing, the agent waited for Jack to follow his instructions.

Jack nodded and quickly slipped the GPS inside one of his sneakers. Then he took the microphone and fixed it to the zipper of his jacket. Once everything was in place, he looked up.

"Done," he reported and waited for the agent to go on with the plan.

"Do you have a phone with you?"

"Yes, but it's not my personal phone and it has a pre-paid sim card," Jack replied.

"That doesn't matter. The important thing is you have a phone and that will serve as a distraction. Chances are that if you get searched they'll assume the phone poses a risk, so they might take it away and even destroy it, but that will take the attention away from the possibility of you carrying other devices," the agent clarified. "Now, what I'm about to tell you next is very important."

Jack nodded and forced himself to focus.

"The goal of this mission isn't to arrest Black. Of course, he'll be charged and prosecuted, but that will happen only after he's served his purpose in the bigger picture. All we need right now is to gather enough evidence of his criminal actions. For this reason, you have to make him believe that he's got what he wants. So, you mu-"

"Wait a second," Jack interrupted, frowning in suspicion. "If you're not going to arrest him now, what are you going to use all this evidence for?" As soon as those words left his mouth, the answer became clear to him. "Oh, you are going to blackmail _him_, aren't you?"

It was more of a statement than a question and when the agent did not reply, Jack leaned back in his seat and let out a tired sigh. Under any other circumstances, he would have laughed at the irony. However, ironic as it was, this situation automatically put the people closest to him in more danger.

The image of Elsa's bruised face surfaced in his mind and he subconsciously tightened his jaw and clenched his fist. "That wasn't the deal I had with the detective," he growled. "I agreed to cooperate in exchange for security. So, do explain to me how contributing to this vicious circle of extortion is going to keep me and everybody directly linked to me safe? How long do you think it will take Black to figure out how you got this evidence against him? And what do you think will happen when he does?"

"Mr. Frost, please calm down," the agent replied in an almost automated manner which suggested he'd repeated this same phrase one too many times. "I understand that you're angry and distressed. Believe me – I would feel the same way if I were in your place. However, you need to remain composed. I can assure you that as agreed yours and the safety of your closest friends and family will be ensured until the end of the operation. Moreover, as far as Black is concerned, you will provide us with intel unwittingly – you don't have any idea that you're bugged and tracked. That brings me to the next point – when you talk to Black, you have to agree to anything he requests and you cannot give him any reason to think you're just leading him on. You must be convincing and make him believe he has you in the palm of his hand. Do you understand?" he asked but Jack did not reply. "Mr. Frost?"

Jack groaned exasperatedly and rolled his eyes. "Yes. Convincing. Got it," he said.

He felt like he was being watched and glanced at the rearview mirror. He frowned when the agent looked at him as if he was a lost cause, bound to ruin the NIS' precious operation. That only fueled his already overflowing irritation and he was just about to give the other man a piece of his mind when the car came to a stop.

"We're here," the agent announced.

Jack looked out the window at the dimly lit park and his anger instantly gave way to anxiety. He ran a hand through his hair, drawing a shaky breath. The sound of the agent shuffling in his seat caught his attention and he turned to look at him.

"I know that you're nervous but please try to remain composed and follow the plan. As I said, we'll be listening to every bit of your conversation with Black and there will be a vehicle in your vicinity at all times. If anything goes wrong, we'll be quick to take action," he explained in an attempt to reassure Jack and waited for him to nod. "If everything has gone according to plan, after the meeting is over, you need to return to Mr. Bjorgman's residence. Detective Sandman and I will meet you there to brief you on how things will proceed from then on."

Jack studied the agent's stoic face for a second and couldn't help wondering how this man found it so easy to remain dispassionate, when there was a good chance everything was doomed to fail.

"You need to go now. You have a litlle over 10 minutes to get to the meeting point," the agent said. "Good luck, Mr. Frost."

"Yeah… thanks," Jack responded a tad sarcastically.

Without another word, he got out, pushed the door shut and watched the taxi pull onto the road. Once the car had disappeared into the distance, he became fully aware that he was alone and suddenly felt exposed. His mouth went dry and he broke into cold sweat. He glanced around nervously and his eyes settled on the entrance of the park. He took a moment to steady himself and then he headed down the main alley.

It didn't take him long to reach the kayak rental facility, where he had agreed to meet Pitch, and just as quickly he realized there was nobody else there but him. He surveyed his surroundings and glanced at his watch, groaning in displeasure when he noted it was already 11:00 pm. He was exhausted, angry, worried, hungry, and in a desperate need of a shower. All he wanted was to get this meeting over and done with, so that he could finally go home and solve his personal issues with Elsa. Having to wait even longer to do so was not something he appreciated.

For better or worse, his waiting was cut short when a moment later he heard approaching footsteps. He turned around and squinted, trying to make out the two silhouettes moving though the darkness. They stepped into the weak light of a nearby alley lamp and he paled. Walking towards him were a couple of rather large men, dressed all in black and looking like they spent too much time drinking protein shakes at the gym. His assessment of their size and physical superiority over him was complete, when he calculated that he didn't stand a chance against one of them let alone two. He looked past them, expecting Pitch to be following closely, but saw no one, which was when the panic started to set in. In his desperation, he'd been so convinced that he held an advantage over Pitch that he'd failed to consider the tiniest possibility that perhaps Pitch _had_ expected him to contact the police despite the warnings and threats. If that was the case, there was no doubt these two were sent to teach him a lesson.

Jack glanced around the deserted park and gulped nervously, taking an involuntary step back, as the thugs neared him. Without a word or a warning, one of them moved to stand behind Jack and gripped his shoulders tightly, while the other one began patting Jack's body and checking his pockets.

"H-Hey!" Jack exclaimed but his protest was ignored.

His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat when the man's hands came too close to the microphone. Luckily, the listening device went unnoticed, when the attention was drawn to the phone Jack carried. He watched as the mobile was snatched out of his pocket and slammed against the ground. If that hadn't been enough to render it unusable, the heavy foot that stomped on it and shattered it to pieces definitely did the trick. Once the thug had made sure the phone had gone on a trip into oblivion, he nodded at his partner and turned around to go.

"Move it," the man behind him grumbled and roughly shoved him forwards.

Jack turned and glared at him, but obliged and started walking. He couldn't help feeling relieved that his initial fear had been wrong. Just as the agent had suspected, Pitch had decided to take an extra precaution and move the meeting elsewhere.

Soon they reached one of the park's exits, where a black limo was parked. One of the thugs opened the back door and sat in the car. Jack felt a sharp push, which he took a signal to follow, and climbed inside. He found himself seated between the two solid men and grew nervous when he felt the car moving and he realized there was nowhere to run. However, his attention was quickly drawn to the fact that his eyes were stinging and he could hardly breathe due to the thick fog of cigarette smoke that filled the interior of the vehicle.

"Good evening, Mr. Frost," came a voice with a British accent, causing Jack's head to snap up. "I'm so happy you could make it to our meeting tonight. After all, I'm sure you would much rather be home, tending to the beautiful mother-to-be."

A wave of anger washed over Jack as he stared at Pitch, who was sitting opposite of him. He opened his mouth to speak but the smoke filled his lungs and he started coughing uncontrollably.

"Oh, pardon me and my terrible habit," Pitch said smoothly and put out the unfinished cigarette he'd been smoking. "I forgot I was in the company of an athlete."

Jack glared at him and forced himself to stop coughing.

"What do you want from me?" he asked hoarsely, after finally catching his breath.

He heard Pitch chuckle and it made his intestines twist. He felt like prey that was being toyed with right before the finishing blow was delivered. It was almost as if Pitch was purposefully testing his patience for amusement and Jack hated to admit he was already reaching his limit. He was sitting mere centimeters away from the man responsible for Elsa's assault and he didn't want anything more than to break every bone in Pitch's body before snapping his neck like a dry twig. He wasn't even bothered that the two gorillas on either side of him would probably beat him to a bloody pulp if he as much as lifted a finger at their boss. All he wanted was to make Pitch suffer.

"Not very patient, are you, Mr. Frost?" Pitch drawled. He paused, letting sly smile spread across his lips, as Jack continued to glare at him. "Although, I can understand how you're in a rush. After all, Miss Andersen was discharged from the hospital only this morning and I bet you want nothing more than to be with her. Poor girl… she is probably still in shock after the ordeal she's been through."

Jack clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, but remained silent. He was aware Pitch was simply trying to provoke him for the fun of it and he wasn't about to give in. Instead, he focused all his energy on keeping his raging emotions under control.

Pitch continued to stare at him intently for another few seconds and then sighed. "Oh well…I was hoping to get to know you better, you know, as a future employee, since this is more or less a job interview," he said, relaxing in his seat.

"A job interview?" Jack repeated, his eyes widening slightly before the frown settled back on his features. "Quit playing games! What. Is. It. You. WANT!?" he snapped loudly.

"Watch it!" a gruff voice sounded and Jack felt a large hand grip onto his shoulder and pull him back forcefully.

He glared at the owner of the hand but his eyes quickly returned to Pitch, who was grinning amusedly.

"I like you, Jack. Can I call you Jack?" Pitch asked innocently. "You're brave, forward, determined, with eyes set on the goal – exactly the qualities I'm look for in a hockey player."

Those words were left hanging in the air until Jack finally pieced things together.

"You want me to come play for you?" he asked, slightly taken aback and in a way which did little to conceal how disgusted the prospect sounded to him.

"You sound surprised..." Pitch commented as if his intentions had been clear from the very beginning. "Well, I believe you would make a wonderful addition to my team. If you agree to join me, I'll make sure your career reaches unimaginable heights. Although, frankly, they're only unimaginable from your position as part of _The Guardians_."

"And if I refuse?" Jack asked.

Pitch shrugged and casually examined his nails. "Well, you're free to do so. However, I personally would hate to see the lovely Miss Andersen get hurt again," he replied nonchalantly.

Jack gritted his teeth. He had to employ all his willpower to not retaliate. He reminded himself that whether Pitch would get what he deserves largely depended on him and how he played his role in this mission. He couldn't allow himself to blow it if he wanted to take revenge on Pitch for everything he'd put Elsa through.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stayed silent for a couple of moments and then looked up. "Okay, I'll do it," he said softly.

"I'm sorry… what was that?" Pitch asked mockingly and leaned forward as if trying to hear better.

"I said I'll do it," Jack repeated more audibly and scowled. "I'll come play for _The Nightmares._"

"Perfect!" Pitch exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Ah, I can't wait to get the paperwork started! I always get so excited when a new player joins my team!" He paused for a second. "There's just one minor detail…"

The tone of Pitch's voice told Jack he wasn't going to like what came next. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself.

"You see, the way things are going, there is a… slight… chance this year's national ice hockey final will be between _The Nightmares _and the far less deserving team, _The Guardians,_" Pitch stated.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the snide comment. His team being openly insulted wasn't new to him. After all, with the success _The Guardians_ had enjoyed in the past few seasons, it was inevitable that they wouldn't attract some negative attention. But to call them undeserving of victory was crossing a line. He knew how hard he and his teammates had been working in order to bring the team to where it was now, and the least they deserved was respect.

Suspecting that the comment was meant to simply play on his nerves, Jack remained silent and waited for Pitch to continue.

"Let's just say that I've made sure none of the other participants in the national championship would pose a threat to my team's success in this season," Pitch elaborated. "Now I only need to be certain that _The Guardians_ won't get in my way either. For that I will need you to… How shall I put this?" he mused, absentmindedly glancing at the ceiling of the car. "Well, let me be straightforward - if your soon-to-be-former team ends up playing against mine at the national final, I will need you to ensure you don't win that game."

"So you basically want me to play weak," Jack replied unimpressed.

"If you'd like to put it this way," Pitch nodded.

Jack didn't reply right away. Instead, he fixed his eyes on the ground. He knew that all he had to do was pretend to accept Pitch's demands. Yet even so, promising to betray his team was bothering him greatly. It was degrading and humiliating and it went against his personal code. Precisely for these reasons trying to convince Pitch of the contrary could be tricky, especially with the added stress of what was at stake if his act wasn't credible enough.

Gathering all his remaining courage, he closed his eyes and swallowed dryly. "Fine," he muttered and straightened up. I'll play weak. I'll make it so that my team loses the game."

"Brilliant!" Pitch cried in exaggerated excitement once again. "In that case, we have ourselves a deal!"

"Yes…"Jack said unwillingly.

He observed as Pitch pressed a button, which apparently notified the driver that he should stop because after a moment the car pulled over.

"Well, Jack, it's a pleasure doing business with you," Pitch said in a way that suggested their conversation was over.

Jack felt the cold air invade the interior of the car, when one of the thugs opened the door and stepped out. He took this as his cue to leave, so he moved to the open door. He was just about to set foot outside on the frozen sidewalk, when he paused and turned to look at Pitch.

Adopting a more fearful attitude in hopes that it will help him deceive Pitch, he spoke. "Just… Just promise me Elsa won't get hurt. Promise me you'll keep her out of this," he pleaded.

A low, amused chuckle tumbled from Pitch's lips and again Jack had to suppress the bubbling urge to physically assault the other man.

"That depends entirely on how you carry out your part of the deal, Jack," Pitch replied.

Jack sighed in defeat and nodded. Then he got out of the car and watched as the bodyguard climbed back in, before the driver eased the limo back onto the road.

He waited for the car to disappear from view and let out a loud sigh of relief. Once he made sure there was nobody around, lowered his head slightly.

"I hope you got your fucking recording," he mumbled irritably into the microphone.

He closed his eyes and brought a hand to rub his forehead, taking a moment to shake off the emotions cause by what he'd just been though. Then he took a deep breath and headed towards Kristoff's apartment.

* * *

**A/N: Agent Max Greno is actually Maximus, the horse from Tangled. Greno is the family name of his voice actor.  
**

**I won't blame you if you didn't quite enjoy this chapter, but it was part of the storyline and it had to be written.**

**Something else I would like to address is that, contrary to the popular belief, I'm not trying to stretch the story. It is true that initially I had planned for 20 chapters, but as the plot progressed I had to make some changes which resulted in a few additional chapters. You'll be happy to know that there isn't much left and if all goes as planned the story will end at Chapter 24.**


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

Jack sighed heavily as he stared at the ceiling of the dark guestroom in Kristoff's apartment. His body felt heavy with fatigue and his mind was screaming with exhaustion but he just couldn't fall asleep.

It had been nearly 1:00 am when he had returned to Kristoff's apartment to find both his friends along with Agent Greno and Detective Sandman waiting for him. After downing a glass of whiskey to soothe his nerves, he had returned the tech equipment and proceeded to give a report of how his meeting with Pitch had passed. He'd done so mostly for the sake of his friends, who had been visibly worried and agitated. Needless to say, both Bunny and Kristoff had been furious to discover what he'd had to endure and what dishonorable promises he'd been forced to make even if he were not to keep them. He himself had been too numb to display any further emotional response, so he'd simply taken a seat on the couch and waited for the agent and detective to enlighten him what was to follow. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't been pleased with what they'd had to say.

He'd been informed that their mission and his involvement in it were far from over, which to him automatically meant Elsa and his friends were still in danger. He didn't know if it was perhaps his facial expression or the irritated grunt he'd absentmindedly produced that had given his thoughts away, but the agent had been quick to guarantee that the NIS would grant him protection until the very end of the operation. Aware he was a victim of circumstance, which rendered him virtually helpless, Jack had simply nodded. The agent had then presented him with a mobile phone, equipped with a traced sim card and had instructed him that it was only to be used as a means for him to contact the NIS in case Edward Black got in touch. The mere prospect of Pitch contacting him again had made his insides clench and twist with anger and disgust but he'd said nothing and had simply accepted the phone.

To his relief, the agent had speculated that the chance of Pitch directly approaching him again was fairly slim, since Jack had agreed to all his terms and a deal had been made successfully. According to the agent's hypothesis, Pitch would find a way to make consistent reminders of that deal but nothing more. The thought of Elsa lying in the hospital bed had surfaced in Jack's mind and, on cue, the agent had assured him that any more threats of such scale were unlikely. Then he had once again made a point to remind him that, as promised, the NIS would keep an eye on his loved ones.

Then Detective Sandman had joined in and inquired about the additional evidence Jack had previously mentioned. Reluctantly, he'd handed over the brown envelope, which had until then remained in Bunny's care. The detective had spilled out the contents to reveal the sinister greeting card, the phone Pitch had used to contact Jack as well as the USB stick holding the recording of their conversation. Slightly amazed at Jack's clever move to make that recording, the detective had slipped the envelope into an evidence bag, which he'd then sealed and given to the agent. Jack had watched the bag disappear into the pocket of the agent's coat and hoped that he hadn't just exchanged his only bargaining chip for nothing.

With the final instructions to stay calm and keep them up to speed regarding any future interaction with Pitch, the agent and the detective had taken their leave at around 3:00 am. Shortly after, Bunny and Kristoff had tried to talk to him and find out about his emotional state after the challenging day he'd gone through, but his energy had been about enough for only a dismissive shrug. Seeing this, Kristoff had offered him to sleep in the guestroom, while Bunny took the living room couch, and now there he was an hour later, engaged in a staring contest with the ceiling.

He groaned and shifted to lie on his side, then closed his eyes and exhaled tiredly, praying for sleep to come. It didn't. Instead, the memory of what had happened earlier that day came crashing down on him and the image of Elsa's tearful face popped into his mind. His eyes snapped open and he looked into the darkness.

After the call he'd received from Tia, giving him an update on Elsa's condition, he'd somehow managed to push his mess of a personal life to the back of his mind and focus entirely on the issue with Pitch. Now that the immediate threat was gone, he could finally shift his attention to his relationship with Elsa.

His heart sank as he recalled the argument he and Elsa had last had. He turned to lie on his back and stared at the ceiling again, as their conversation replayed in his mind.

In a few short minutes all the questions plaguing his mind had been answered. He'd found out that in a ridiculous chain of events, driven by guilt, Elsa had turned up in the _right_ place at the _wrong_ time, witnessed an incident she had completely misconstrued and, overtaken by anguish, had embarked on a quest for revenge which had perfectly coincided with Pitch's plans to kidnap her and had inadvertently landed her in the hospital. That was at least the short version.

The long version was that he was an idiot and only had himself to blame for all that.

No matter how he looked at it, none of it would have happened if only he'd stayed home on Friday night when Elsa had told him she hadn't been feeling well. As it had turned out, Elsa had lied to him but it did not excuse the fact that he had chosen to go out and celebrate with his teammates over staying home and taking care of her. Nothing ever took priority over Elsa. However, in a moment of bad judgement, he'd let the excitement get the better of him and it had almost cost him her life.

His actions had been irresponsible at the very least and to say he felt guilty would be an understatement. He was _ashamed_ of himself. No matter what she had told him and how she had tried to convince him to go out, he should have stayed with her that night. If he'd done so, right now he would have been sleeping in his own bed, holding Elsa securely in his arms. She wouldn't have gone to the bar and she wouldn't have had a reason to leave the safety of their home in the middle of the night. If none of it had happened, then perhaps she would have told him she was pregnant and he wouldn't have had to hear the news from his best friend.

Jack let out a breath and squeezed his eyes shut, resting an arm across his face.

His thoughts traveled back to their conversation and his stomach clenched, as he recalled how angry he had been with her and how harshly he'd treated her. Blinded by the fact that she'd deliberately kept her pregnancy a secret from him, he'd yelled at her and, when she had finally explained why she'd been reluctant to tell him in the first place, he'd called her selfish.

A soft, bitter chuckle escaped his dry lips as a painful realization ripped through his mind. Elsa wasn't the selfish one. _He_ was.

When he had first raised the topic of marriage a bit over a month earlier, he had been annoyed at Elsa's negative reaction to the idea. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't even consider it given that they had been in a happy, loving relationship for five years. For him marriage was just the next logical step and he didn't quite comprehend why Elsa was so opposed to it. However, if a month ago he'd been slightly hurt by her sharp reaction, now he understood the reason behind it. While he didn't doubt her feelings for him, he'd never stopped to consider for one moment that Elsa might want something different from life.

When the news that she was pregnant had finally sunk in for him, he'd been overjoyed. The woman he loved and cherished more than anything in the entire world was carrying his child – a life they had created together, the physical proof of their love for each other. It was like a dream come true – he was going to be a dad. Yet in his joy, he'd failed to take into account what the implications of motherhood could be for Elsa.

He was a few months shy of turning twenty-eight and he'd already accomplished a lot in life. He'd graduated on top of his class from a prestigious university. He'd built a successful career playing for a renowned ice hockey team. He'd co-founded a skating school for kids. He had achieved financial security. But most importantly, he'd earned the love of the most beautiful, most intelligent, most unique woman. So, for him having a family was simply a natural development and, just as Elsa had put it, it wouldn't matter if it happened earlier or later because he was ready for it. He would welcome that child into the world with open arms and he would love it and give his best to raise it.

For precisely this reason, hiding her pregnancy from him had been the most _selfless_ thing Elsa could have done and it showed how well she knew him and how much she actually loved him.

Elsa was not even twenty-four and unlike him she was still studying, even if she had barely six months until graduation. She had a lot to achieve, grounds to conquer and dreams to fulfill. As she had said it herself, she'd planned for kids only after she'd become successful professionally. Even with him there to help her and support her, a baby at this point in her life would definitely put all her career goals on hold. Aware that she wasn't ready for such a commitment yet, she'd chosen to secretly have an abortion.

At first glance and as, he was sure, it had appeared to Bunny, one would think Elsa had selfishly chosen her career over his happiness. However, now he understood that, albeit misguided, Elsa's intention had been to protect him. Knowing how much he wanted to have a kid of his own, she had realized that if she revealed to him she was pregnant, one moment she would have made him the happiest man alive only to break his heart the next. By withholding it from him, she had resigned herself to undergoing a scary, painful procedure and carrying the burden of her actions all alone for the rest of her life. In doing so, she would have spared him the grieving process he would have otherwise surely experienced.

But now he knew.

He remembered Elsa saying that she had been getting ready to tell him on Friday night but his phone ringing had interrupted her and her courage had faltered. He wondered how that conversation would have turned out. For one, he was certain he would have listened to everything she'd had to say – all her fears and doubts. He still firmly believed that it was an issue they had to figure out together even if the decision they took wouldn't be the one he was hoping for.

Jack moved his arm away from his face and opened his eyes.

Elsa was now aware that he hadn't cheated on her and she had expressed a desire to talk to him. That meant that they would in fact have to discuss the baby and come to a decision. What that would be he didn't know.

What he did know was that nothing ever took priority over Elsa. Not even his own happiness.

* * *

"Oi, sleeping beauty, wake up."

Jack groaned as Bunny's voice stirred him from the blissful nap, and forced his heavy eyelids open. He winced at the abusive, bright sunlight and brought a hand up to rub the sleep away from his tired eyes. The three hours of sleep he'd managed to get hadn't been nearly enough to recharge his batteries.

"We're here," Bunny announced and switched the engine off.

Jack blinked a few times and raised his eyes to look at him before he glanced outside and noticed they had arrived in front of his apartment building. He took a deep breath and rested his head against the back of the seat, then exhaled heavily.

"You okay, mate?" Bunny asked with concern.

"Yeah… I just…" Jack replied softly, his voice trailing off. He felt Bunny's hand on his shoulder and turned to look at him.

"Listen, mate," Bunny began calmly. "I know this is a tough situation, especially with everything else that has happened. But believe me when I say this – you and Elsa are a match made in heaven. That girl helped you through some hard times, when no one else could, and you did the same for her. Now, I may not agree with her decision to hide the pregnancy from you and she may not be one to openly display her affections, but I know she loves you. Just as I know how much you love her. And when two people love each other they find a way to work things out."

"Thanks, mate," Jack replied and the corners of his lips curled upwards for the briefest of moments. "I hope you're right."

With that he opened the door and stepped out, welcoming the fresh morning air, just as Kristoff parked his car next to Bunny's. Then three of them entered the apartment building.

* * *

Elsa wrapped the soft fabric of her cardigan tighter around her body and looked out the window. Ignoring the slight pain she felt in her sides, she focused her attention on the Arendelle skyline bathed in the golden-peach color of the early morning light. The sight evoked a sense of tranquility. She had forgotten how beautiful the view from her atelier was, so she took a moment to enjoy it. After observing the city for a while, she turned around.

It felt like forever since she'd last been there, in the studio Jack had designed for her so that she can practice her favorite and rather demanding hobby all year long - one of the many things he'd done for her without asking for anything in return.

She sighed and scanned the room. Her carving tools were neatly packed away in their respective storage places, exactly how she would leave them every time she finished working. The empty ice containers were in their usual orderly state as well, stacked next to the freezer she used to prepare her ice blocks. The only thing that seemed to be out of place was her latest ice sculpture, which had transformed from a graceful swan into a puddle on the floor. This coupled with the unusually high temperature led her to believe that the thermostat was mostly likely damaged.

Frowning, she stared at the wet patch on the floor before it occurred to her that she should probably dry it up. She glanced around in search of a cloth she could use and her eyes fell on the toolbox where she had initially hidden the positive pregnancy tests. The tests were no longer there but that did not prevent the familiar feeling of dread from settling at the pit of her stomach.

Unconscious of the hand she'd involuntarily placed on her abdomen and the thumb that was currently gently stroking the fabric covering her skin, she clasped her other hand over her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to suppress the powerful sob that shook her body. A tear rolled down her smooth cheek, soon followed by another, as the memory of her unresolved issue sprang to mind.

Her latest interaction with Jack materialized in front of her mind's eye and she felt guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders, when she remembered the cruel words she'd sent his way. Rationality dictated that she had been under the influence of stress, strong physical and emotional pain all mingled with pregnancy hormones, so at the time her reaction and attitude towards Jack had seemed perfectly justified. Yet she couldn't stop the growing tightness in her chest when the image of Jack's hurt expression popped in her mind. She knew for a fact that the way she had referred to his… their… unborn child had delivered a strong blow which had the potential of causing lasting damage. However, terrible as this had been, it wasn't the worst she had done.

The most disastrous mistake of probably her entire life so far she had made on Friday night when she hadn't given Jack the benefit of the doubt. She had witnessed him leave the bar with a girl and not even for a moment had she considered the possibility that there was a reasonable explanation for his actions. Aside from causing her to singlehandedly steer their relationship to oblivion, her temporary lack of critical thought had opened a chapter of accidents, putting both her and Jack as well as their friends in danger. All that would have been avoided if she hadn't given way to her insecurities.

Everything Anna had said the night before had been spot-on, except from one thing – the problem wasn't that Elsa was unaware of the strength of Jack's feelings for her. She saw the love in his eyes and she felt it in his every touch. All the things he did for her didn't go unnoticed either.

The problem was that she was so afraid he would one day leave her and take his love away that she'd refused to fully succumb to her own feelings for him.

She had met Jack at a time in her life when she had felt vulnerable and alone. Until this day she still couldn't believe her ten-year-old self had worked up the courage to strike up a conversation with a strange and visibly older boy at a deserted playground. Sometimes she wondered whether she had been so drawn to him because he looked as lonely or because his pale skin and unusual, white hair had made him look like the personification of winter.

When she had approached him and he'd looked at her for the very first time, she had been immediately captivated by his stunning ice blue eyes. If the eyes were the window to the soul, as people said, then she had seen the purest yet most sorrowful soul. She often thought this had been the reason why she'd trusted him so easily.

Her earliest encounter with Jack had felt surreal and almost magical to the point where, for a while, it had left her wondering whether Jack had been real or just an imaginary friend her mind had conjured up under the influence of loneliness. Nevertheless, the next day she had revisited the playground, hoping to meet him again. To her relief, he'd been there and from then on their friendship had blossomed.

Their continuous interaction had remained a secret until he'd introduced her to Bunny, at which point her bliss had ended. She'd quickly realized that, unlike her, Jack had had other friends and probably many different activities aside from spending time with her. It had been then when she'd first felt it - the fear of losing him, the fear which had become the cause and breeding ground of all her insecurities.

As of that moment, the certainty that Jack would always be present in her life had rapidly been replaced by the agonizing doubt in what the future held. This sudden shift had strengthened the conviction that nothing in her life would be constant which had scared her even more and prompted her to create a safety net – a failsafe that would allow her to go on in case Jack ever left. Thus she had started planning out the rest of her life.

Naturally, with time her plans had morphed but she had stayed focused and determined to create a certain future for herself. She had carried on building her back-up life despite the support, care and respect Jack had always showed her. She had persisted when his attitude towards her had changed to one of more than just a friend and even when she had become aware of her own romantic feelings for him – feelings that she had so actively tried to belittle due to her belief that Jack would surely forget about her as soon as he'd gone to university.

Obviously, she had been slightly confused when, instead of neglecting her existence, Jack would call her whenever he felt down or had something exciting to share or, as he'd often put it, when he'd simply wanted to hear her voice. Regardless, it had been only after her parents had passed away and Jack had done everything in his power to help her and console her when she had become aware that perhaps she had been wrong in her assumptions all along. For someone who she had suspected would one day abandon her, he had been awfully attentive and caring. As the realization had sunk in, her plans had started featuring him too.

Even so, she had remained focused mainly on her personal future rather than their future together.

Unknowingly, she had allowed fear to steer the wheel and dominate her decision making which had caused the safety net she had built to steadily transform into a primary life goal. It had remained that way even after Jack had professed his love and she had finally opened up about her own feelings for him. It went without questioning that she had been happy to start a relationship with him. However, blinded by her erroneous desire for professional success, she had paid little attention to the fact that Jack had always openly displayed and proved his love for her whereas she rarely did the same in return. For the five years they had been together, she had done the bear minimum to show him she reciprocated his affection. She had always put herself first with little regard to how her actions and decisions would affect him, which was precisely why she had found herself in the present situation. If it hadn't been for Bunny finding out she was pregnant, she would have proceeded with the abortion without Jack's knowledge. She liked to think that she would have gone behind his back in an attempt to protect him from heartache, but the truth was that she'd wanted to avoid the risk of being coaxed in keeping the baby when she hadn't been entirely certain she wanted it.

She could almost laugh at the irony. The fear of losing Jack had made her so self-involved that she would have readily disposed of the one thing which would connect her to him more strongly than anything – the small life they had created together.

Sniffling, she glanced down at her abdomen. At a bit over seven weeks, she didn't have much of a baby bump. Aside from the fact that none of her pairs of pants fit her anymore, there was no visible evidence she was pregnant. Still, even though she couldn't see it or quite feel it just yet, a small part of Jack was slowly growing inside of her - a part of him that had beaten the odds and come to life despite the contraceptives she had been taking… a part of him that she had subconsciously protected from Hans' assault.

A soft knock on the door distracted her from her thoughts. She quickly wiped her tears and looked up just as Anna walked in followed by Tia.

"Oh, it's freezing in here!" Anna exclaimed and hugged herself, rapidly running her hands over her upper arms to get her blood rushing.

"Elsa, honey, you're going to catch a cold," Tia added apparently just as bothered by the low temperature.

"I'm used to it. Actually, right now it's a lot warmer than it's supposed to be," Elsa explained and smiled sympathetically when her sister shivered.

There was a short pause in which Anna and Tia exchanged uncomfortable looks. Then Anna spoke again.

"Elsa…" she said and hesitated. "Jack is home."

Elsa felt her heart flutter in a mixture of nervousness and excitement and took a deep, shaky breath, which didn't go unnoticed, judging by the concerned frowns that met her when she looked up.

"Would you like us to stay?" Anna asked in concerned. "You don't have to be alone with him if you're still unsure of how you feel and all…"

Biting her lip, she glanced at Tia, who appeared to be on the same page as Anna. Then her eyes shifted to the hand still resting on her stomach, as she considered her sister's offer.

A moment later she shook her head. "No, I'll be fine," she replied and smiled.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked, still frowning.

Elsa nodded and moved to stand closer to them. "Thank you both for being there for me," she said and proceeded to give each of them a hug.

"You don't have to thank us," Tia replied with a smile, as she returned the hug, careful not to press on Elsa's still healing injuries. "It's the least we could do."

"Call if you need anything, okay?" Anna added.

"I will," Elsa replied with a grateful smile.

She watched as her sister and Tia disappeared out the door. Once alone, she walked over to the window, focusing on the view outside, distracting herself from the painful pounding of her heart.

A few minutes passed until the sound of the door being opened alerted her to somebody else's presence inside the studio. She didn't have to look to know it was Jack. Aware she had nowhere to run this time, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to steady her heartbeat. Then she turned around to face him.

A soft gasp escaped her lips when she took in his appearance. Aside from his greasy hair and the clothes he seemed to be wearing for the third day in a row, he looked absolutely exhausted. There was no doubt that sleeping in a recliner at the hospital paired with their heated argument from the day before had taken a toll on him. Nevertheless, while his bloodshot eyes and the dark circles underneath them suggested he'd gotten little sleep if any at all, something told her that the emotional strain and lack of proper rest were only partly the cause for his disheveled condition.

"Hey," Jack spoke in a raspy voice, taking her slightly by surprise.

Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes locked with his. There was sadness and defeat written on his face and she couldn't help feeling like she'd been the one to cause them.

"Hi…"

"How are you feeling?" he asked and took a step further into the room.

The question was genuine and filled with concern – something she wasn't entirely certain she deserved.

"A bit better," she murmured.

Seeing as he looked like he'd been through hell, she was tempted to ask him the same. The guilt gripping on her heart, however, told her she had no right to do so and instead she shifted her eyes to the floor and let the uncomfortable silence settle between them.

Jack regarded her for a long moment. Leaving the hospital and returning to the safety and comfort of their home was definitely having a positive effect on her. The color had returned to her cheeks and, in spite of the tension lingering in the air between them, she seemed calmer and far more relaxed. Unfortunately, while he didn't doubt Elsa would fully recover from her physical injuries, he wasn't so sure about the emotional and psychological trauma she had sustained. Just like him, Elsa had been through a lot in her lifetime and he knew she possessed admirable inner strength. Still, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, what had happened to her over the past few days had stretched her endurance to its limits.

Remorse crept inside of him at the thought that he'd been the one to indirectly enable the attack on Elsa. He could never forgive himself for that mistake. Shutting his eyes, he ran a hand through his messy hair. He tried to put his thoughts in order and take control over his thundering heart. Then he looked at her again.

"Elsa, I…" he started softly. "I didn't cheat on you."

She glanced at him and paused. It had been less than twenty-four hours since she'd listened to him say these words over and over again, desperate to convince her he was telling the truth. She thought it funny how his statement had carried zero significance no matter how many times he'd repeated it then, yet it meant everything to her now.

"I know," she said quietly and mentally kicked herself for her laconic answer. She was supposed to be apologizing to him for treating him the way she had. Instead, she could barely bring herself to look him in the eye for longer than just an instant.

"No, you don't know," he said, shaking his head.

Elsa frowned, wondering if perhaps he was unaware that Anna and Tia had filled her in on the events at the pub. "I do, Anna told me everything and I -"

"That's not my point," he interrupted curtly.

The startled expression on Elsa's face made him regret his tone. She stood a couple of meters away with her arms wrapped around her small frame, her shoulders tight, distrust written on her dainty features. It felt like forever since he'd last seen her smile or felt the touch of her lips. He'd already done enough to hurt her. The last thing he wanted was to scare her or stress her out even more. After all, his intention was to mend their bond, not wreck it completely. He couldn't let fatigue and the pressure from his dealings with Pitch ruin his chance to bring his and Elsa's relationship back to normal. He had to make everything right.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out an exasperated sigh. He focused on finding the balance between emotional chaos and rationality. Once he felt composed enough, he took a tentative step forward. Knowing that what he was about to say would not be an easy confession, he said a silent prayer and wet his lips in preparation to talk.

"The closest I've ever been to cheating on you was in the second semester of my first year at university, when I used to have casual sex with a girl from one of my classes. That was eight years ago when you and I weren't in a relationship just yet. I did it because I was madly in love with an underage girl who I wasn't even sure returned my feelings. It was getting too much to bear and I had to vent somehow, so I had sex with a random classmate of mine. It's not something I'm proud of and admittedly it might not have been the best solution for my problem. However, that can hardly be viewed as cheating. At best, I cheated on my own feelings for you," he explained, attempting to sound as calm as possible despite the violent beating of his heart against his ribcage.

He wasn't surprised when Elsa's frown deepened and her jaw clenched. Suddenly, she adopted a more defiant stance, raising her chin and narrowing her eyes. The loud breath she released through her nostrils told him she was less than happy with what she'd just heard and he couldn't blame her. He didn't find any pleasure in telling her all that either, but he had a point to express. If he wanted to clean the mess they were in, he had to do it properly. He had to be fully honest with her. He had to let her see herself through his eyes and make her understand once and for all how much she really meant to him.

"I'm still madly in love with you, Elsa, and it's not only because of your flawless beauty or your charming personality," he added in a softer voice. "But if you assumed I cheated on you then there must be something wrong with the way I affirm my love for you. One of the things I remember being taught as a child is that actions speak louder than words. So I've always tried to show you how important… how vital you are to my existence but it seems my actions have been insufficient in conveying the true extent of my feelings. I…" He hesitated, sensing the guilt lurking into his heart once more. "I also know that sometimes words can cut deeper than a knife and, believe me, if I could turn back the time I would take back everything I said to you yesterday. But I can't and I will forever regret those words. It wasn't right of me to call you selfish. You were trying to protect me and now I understand why you did what you did."

Pausing, he noticed that her posture had relaxed and the frown had disappeared, which he took as an encouragement to continue. Yet he found himself unable to resume. He had reached the final part of his speech but the words were stuck in his throat. Elsa was watching him waning wariness, awaiting the rest of what he had to say. He looked at her and for a brief moment he wondered if the baby would have her beautiful eyes or her irresistible smile, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind his stomach dropped. He would never find out.

Glancing at her belly, he gulped dryly and readied himself for one of the hardest things he'd ever had to say.

With a deep intake of air, he spoke. "Elsa, I won't lie – I'm excited that you're pregnant and I want this baby. I want us to start a family together. But… most of all, I want you to be happy. I want you to have everything you've ever wished for. And if that means having a baby later on or… never… then so be it," he finished.

His words hung in the air and he waited with bated breath for her to say something. Anything.

To his dismay, instead of words it was a loud sob that came out of her and his heart sank when he saw the tears in her eyes. Instinctively, he took a step towards her but stopped, unsure if she would allow him to approach.

Elsa tried in vain to restrain herself from crying. Unfortunately, at present her emotions were stronger than her willpower, so she simply gave in and let the tears stream down her cheeks. She knew she had hurt him but until now she hadn't recognized the exact magnitude of the damage she had caused. Not only had she accused him of something he hadn't committed, but she had also gone as far as to make him believe he was to blame for what was entirely her doing.

"This is all my fault!" she cried.

Jack frowned. "Elsa, that's not true," he said and took another step forward, but halted when she shied away from him, shaking her head.

Engaging all her strength, she forced the sobs to subside and took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She sniffled and looked at him, noting the blank expression he wore.

"Y-You were right, Jack," she said and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "I've been selfish all along. I convinced myself that I was trying to shield you from the pain. But the truth is that all this time it was me whom I was protecting."

"I'm not sure I understand…"

Bowing her head, she gathered her thoughts. Jack had done her the courtesy of a lengthy and detailed explanation, so it was only fair she did the same.

"When… When I first met you," she spoke reluctantly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her cardigan, "my little sister had just spent her favorite holiday in a hospital bed because of my recklessness and inability to take proper care of her. My parents had forbidden me from playing with her without supervision, so I wandered to the playground, hoping to distract myself and dull the guilt I felt from having ruined Christmas for my entire family."

As the painful memory came out of her mouth, she glanced at Jack. Her words were no news to him, so the puzzlement she saw his eyes was only expected.

With no reason to prolong the ordeal of admitting her continuous foolishness, she recommenced. "I saw you sitting on a swing, your head hanging low, and you looked so sad and alone – just like me. I was drawn to you like a magnet. Then… then we became friends and the time spent with you was when I was happiest," she stated and swallowed nervously in preparation for her revelation. "For a long time, I believed that you felt the same way. However… later on I realized it might not have been the case – you were older, you had other friends – I panicked. I was certain it was a matter of time you lose interest in our friendship and move on and, terrified of a life without you, I tried to find a solution to a problem that wasn't there to begin with. I created a false idea of what my life should be and I started pursuing it relentlessly, sure it was what I wanted. It absorbed me and eventually I lost sight of what really mattered to me – being with you. For years, I suppressed my true feelings, denying myself the emotional freedom that comes with mutual love. All this because of my unjustified fear of losing you."

She paused, wondering if he would comment. A part of her was hoping he would magically understand and accept her unspoken apology, thus cutting her short and putting her out of her misery. Of course, he didn't. He remained silent, staring at her with an expression she couldn't read. Biting her lip, she lowered her gaze. Her own body language took her by surprise when she realized that both her hands had found their way to her belly.

"This pregnancy wasn't part of my plan. Not yet anyway," she whispered and raised her eyes, noticing a hint of disappointment on his features. "But there's no excuse for refusing you the right to be involved in the decision making. So, because of Bunny or not, on Friday night I was headed to the pub with the intention of telling you about the baby. No matter how strongly I believed I can deal with everything on my own, I needed you. I knew you would have taken some of the load off and told me everything was going to be alright just like you always do. Then together we would have made the best choice regardless of what that choice would have been. But… any remaining hope that things will fall into place dissipated when I saw you get into a taxi with that girl. At that moment, my whole world collapsed – my worst nightmare had come true and, to add fuel to the flames, I didn't even question it!

The painful stinging in her eyes and the soreness in her throat had returned, foreshadowing a new wave of tears. She tried to fight the sensation but her face twisted in an anguished grimace. The involuntary, sharp inhalation didn't help her case either.

"I… I was about to do something horrible!" she sobbed with regret, clutching her abdomen. "I'm so sorry, Jack! Please forgive me!"

It was one of those moments when all thought came to a standstill, the mind went blank and it was up to the body to make the decision. By a similar sequence, before he knew what he was doing, Jack had closed the distance between Elsa and himself and his arms had darted around her, pulling her into a tender yet powerful embrace. No more explanations and apologies were needed as her delicate fingers dug into the material of his hoodie and she held onto him with all her might.

"I love you!" she mumbled into his chest, tightening her grip.

As he closed his eyes, resting his chin atop her head, and breathed in the scent of her hair, there was a single feeling that washed over his whole being – relief.

Just like that she was back in his arms.

The girl who had saved his life. The woman he loved more than anything. The mother of his unborn child.

"Elsa…"

* * *

**A/N: After almost 4 months, I finally managed to update. I apologize for the long delay. **

**Truth be told, I wore the first part of this chapter immediately after I posted the previous one. My plan was to have it finished by the end of September. Unfortunately, my life had other plans.**

**Normally, I wouldn't feel like I need to give an explanation but, since I kept you waiting for so long, I figured I should tell you that the past few months haven't been exactly a breeze for me. Aside from frequent traveling and adult responsibilities, I've been dealing with some health issues which affected both my physical and my emotional state. I'm much better now but you can understand how writing hasn't been high on my priority list.**

**Also, I have no idea when I will be able to update again, though I hope it won't take as long. Meanwhile, feel free to check out the short story I started wiring recently - it's called **_A Different Kind of Perfect. _**  
**

**That said, I would like to give a huge THANK YOU to my super awesome friends **WickedgreenPhantom** and **Furiyan** for helping me out with this chapter as well as for being supportive and patient with me! They have some pretty cool stories worth a read, so check them out :)  
**


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

The crowd was cheering loudly, adding white noise to the already blasting music and headache inducing light show – the only features of ice hockey championships Jack didn't quite enjoy.

Dressed in full gear, he was standing by the entrance of the rink together with his teammates, counting the seconds until the flashing projectors would finally give way to steady, perpetual lighting, before the two opposing teams would be introduced to the public and allowed to proceed onto the ice. As that moment drew nearer, he found himself getting more and more excited and eager to begin the match.

Contrary to his expectations, time seemed to have flown by over the past five months. After he and Elsa had come clean to each other about their thoughts and feelings, they had taken a few days of much needed rest and relaxation. Unwilling to cause her more stress and worries for a while, he had postponed telling her about his encounter with Pitch and the details surrounding the issue. Instead, he'd chosen to focus on their relationship and further discussions regarding the new life they were expecting.

He'd been overjoyed to accompany her to the following prenatal appointments and learn more about the changes both of them would be facing as her pregnancy progressed. His happiness had only grown when he'd noticed Elsa slowly warming up to the idea of parenthood. There had been an eminent shift in her priorities. Working late on her thesis had become a thing of the past, as she had focused her energy towards better time management and self-care. She had improved her diet and sleeping patterns, but the difference in her attitude had really struck him, when he'd realized that a large part of the art related books, articles, papers and what-have-you usually occupying the living room coffee table had been replaced by books about pregnancy. He'd been pleased to see that she had found the perfect balance without neglecting her studies and he'd done everything in his power to assist her in any way he could, including keeping the fridge stocked with Vegemite and tuna.

Unfortunately, even though his personal life had returned back to normal and even improved, escaping the danger that was Pitch, hadn't been that easy.

Under Detective Sandman's advisement, a week after Elsa had been discharged from the hospital, he had accompanied her to the police station to officially press charges against Hans. While she had been surprisingly composed throughout the procedure, he had still refrained from sharing with her the exact extent of the truth when she had inquired about Edward Black and his involvement in her attempted kidnapping. It hadn't been until the end of her first trimester that he had sat her down and explained his circumstances.

Having her share the fear and tension he'd been living with had felt like he'd failed to protect her, especially in her delicate condition, but lying or keeping it a secret hadn't been much of an option. Whether for his benefit or not, she had remained calm and collected as he'd recounted the whole story, taking care to not to omit any details. At the end of his confession, he'd apologized to her, saying that she'd been dragged into this mess because of him and he would never be able to forgive himself for the ordeal she'd gone through and the undeniable reality of the still lingering danger. As the silence had fallen between them, he had expected Elsa to get upset and blame him for their position just as much as he'd blamed himself, so he had stiffened in surprise when instead she had reached to caress his face, telling him that none of it had been his fault and that he'd been guilty of only being a talented hockey player. Then she'd pulled him into a gentle hug and told him she loved him and that they would get through it all together.

Albeit emotionally challenging, letting Elsa in on the seriousness of the situation hadn't been nearly as difficult as having to wake up every morning with the thought of Pitch still out there, posing a viable threat to them and everybody they considered close. He had spent every hour of every day half expecting a phone call, informing him that his secret collaboration with the Arendelle Police Department and the National Investigation Service had been discovered and Elsa would suffer the consequences. The time he'd had to spend away from her due to his practice and her studies had been filled with excruciating anxiety, affecting his concentration and performance. As a result, he'd had to train twice as hard, which at the end of the day would leave him mentally and physically drained. He'd tried to console himself with the thought that she had been watched over by undercover NIS agents, but he'd been able to relax only with Elsa tucked safely in his arms.

Luckily, his temporary inability to play at his peak performance had been compensated by the rest of the team and _The Guardians _had kept on moving forward in the tournament, beating every opponent. Under normal circumstances, he would have been excited about their progress and would have enjoyed celebrating every victory together with his teammates who, with the exception of Bunny and Kristoff, had remained oblivious to his reality.

With the approaching end of the hockey season, he'd become more and more aware of the deal he'd made with Pitch and the consequences it would have should the NIS fail to carry out their mission. To make things even more unnerving, he'd been left in complete radio silence. Despite Agent Greno's warning that Pitch would probably get in touch again to assert his threats, there had been no attempts for communication of any kind. Unable to determine whether that was a good sign or not, he had remained vigilant, but the real issue had been the lack of feedback from the authorities dealing with the case.

Two months after his liaison with Pitch, the suspense had become too much to bear. Desperate for an update, he had contemplated using the phone given to him by Agent Greno to contact the NIS but the voice of reason, otherwise known as Elsa, had prevented him from doing so. She had pointed out that, no matter how much he hated it, he was helpless in the circumstances and any unsolicited involvement on his part could actually aggravate their state of affairs. Her advice had been to instead channel his frustration into a more productive energy by venting it out during practice. Initially, he'd protested, saying that she couldn't ask him to trust the very same people who hadn't hesitated to put her life on the line. His statement had been met with a look of irritation, accompanied by a raised eyebrow and crossed arms, and he'd quickly reconsidered continuing the discussion, deeming it unwise to argue with his annoyed pregnant girlfriend.

Women were a civilizing force, he had to admit that. After making the smart, in retrospect, decision to take her advice, he'd invested himself in training and soon the overall performance of _The Guardians_ had improved significantly, leading the team steadily on the way to the playoffs.

It had been the beginning of April when he'd finally received a phone call from Detective Sandman, who had asked for a meeting with him. He'd immediately questioned the sensibility of that request, aware that Pitch had most likely been following his every move. Surprisingly, the detective had assured him there had been no reason for panic, so after warning Elsa to stay home, he'd headed down to the Police Department together with Bunny and Kristoff, who had insisted on joining him. Upon arriving at the precinct, they'd been shown to a meeting room where, to an even greater surprise, they had found themselves face to face with not only the detective but Agent Greno and Coach North as well. What had followed had been a two-hour long report on all the events that had taken place after his meeting with Pitch.

As it had turned out, the recording of said meeting he'd begrudgingly secured had been the last piece of evidence the NIS had needed in order to form a solid case against Pitch and subsequently bring him into custody several weeks later. From then on, it had been a matter of forcing all the needed information out of him, which had successfully led to uncovering the whole corruption scheme tainting the International Ice Hockey Federation. Just as promised, Pitch had remained unaware of Jack's conscious involvement in the mission. To Pitch's knowledge, he'd been merely a pawn in the NIS plan and his role as such had finally been over. Those had been the news the agent had delivered to him at that meeting – while the investigation of corrupt officials continued, Edward 'Pitch' Black was no longer a threat to him, Elsa or anybody closely related to them and his assistance to the operation had no longer been needed. His request to be thereafter completely left out of it had also been honored.

As a precaution not to alert anybody else of the ongoing investigation,_ The Nightmares_ had not been disqualified from the championship, despite Pitch's arrest and the proof that the team had not succeeded in an entirely lawful manner. For Jack that had meant only one thing – an opportunity for payback. From then onwards, he'd been fully focused on doing everything possible to assist his team in getting to the National Cup Finals.

Now here he was, two months later, standing alongside his teammates, waiting to go on the ice and fight _The Nightmares_ for the title of National Champion.

"Are you okay, mate?" he heard Bunny's voice behind him and snapped out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," he grinned, glancing at his friend. "I just can't wait to kick some _Nightmare_ ass!"

* * *

Elsa gasped and flinched, unconsciously placing a hand on her belly, when Jack was mercilessly slammed into the acrylic shielding boards of the rink by one of the _Nightmare_ players. He stumbled to the ground and she bit her lip, watching as he stood up with a little too much difficulty. He shook his head and steadied himself before turning his attention back to the game.

She was happy that _The Guardians_ were leading but she didn't want their victory to be at Jack's expense. National Champion or not, she needed him back in one piece. At seven and a half months, her pregnancy was making it increasingly hard for her to perform even some of the most mundane tasks, like bending down to tie her shoelaces. The last thing she needed was having to scrape her boyfriend off of the skating rink. That said, the members of the opposing team were brutal. Even Bunny, with his large built, had sustained a few balance disrupting collisions with the shielding boards, which only made her wish for this game end quicker.

The gentle touch of a hand on her arm startled her and she turned to her right to meet Anna's concerned eyes.

"Elsa, are you alright?" her sister asked.

Elsa nodded a little confused. "I'm fine, why?" she replied.

"It's just that you look distressed and you're clutching your baby bump – not exactly the body language you'd want to see coming from a pregnant woman at a hockey game…" Anna reasoned.

Frowning, Elsa glanced down and realized that indeed arms were wrapped tightly around her belly, as if she was trying to protect it from something. Blinking, she relaxed her stance and mustered a small smile as she looked at Anna again. "I'm just a little worried about Jack. That's all," she explained.

"Honey, relax," said another feminine voice to her left.

She turned around to see Tia smiling warmly at her, having overheard the exchange.

"Our boys are tough," Tia added and ran a hand up and down Elsa's back. "They might get a bit bruised but they'll survive."

Elsa smiled back and was just about to resume watching, when something caught her attention and her glance involuntarily moved past Tia. Sitting a few seats away from her friend was a young man she had come to know as Flynn Rider, whom she had been officially introduced four months earlier. Jack had made sure Flynn and his little sister received complimentary VIP tickets for every one of the remaining _Guardians_ games and she had been able to thank Flynn personally for practically saving her life and consequently that of their unborn baby.

Seated next to him was his younger sister who, much like her brother, seemed to be absorbed by the game, chewing her lip in concentration as her eyes darted between the players on the rink. On his other side, sat none other than Anna's fellow cheerleader, Punzie. Elsa almost didn't recognize the girl – the artificial blonde tones had faded, giving way to her natural brown hair which no longer extended down to her mid-thighs but had recently been cut to barely reach her shoulders. She did not seem as engaged by the game but definitely looked happy to be there, spending time with her now boyfriend.

Punzie and Flynn had met at a party organized to celebrate yet another victory by _The Guardians_. Flynn had been invited by Jack as an honorary guest, while Punzie had been forcefully dragged there by Anna, who had insisted the girl apologized to both Elsa and Jack for nearly costing them their relationship. Punzie had had vague memories of her drunken advances towards Jack but the thought that Elsa had witnessed them, causing her to assume the worst, had brought the poor girl to tears. Sobbing she had offered her sincerest apologies to both of them and had thanked Jack for having been the perfect gentleman and making sure she had made it home safely that shameful night.

Elsa had been surprised by her own reaction to the apology. Whether spurred by pregnancy hormones affecting her judgement or the strong desire to put the whole issue in the past, she had simply smiled and told Punzie that all had been forgiven and forgotten. Jack had responded in much the same way, only warning the girl to beware the amounts of alcohol she consumed because the next guy might not be as honorable. As it had turned out, the next guy had been Flynn who hadn't been able to take his eyes off of Punzie from the moment he'd first noticed her.

Letting go of the grudge she'd held against Punzie had been a relief. It had helped her cope with the memories of that disastrous night and partially overcome the psychological trauma she had sustained. However, it had been a small challenge compared to living with the thought of Edward Black posing a prolonged threat to her and Jack as well as their friends.

When Jack had revealed to her the full story behind her attempted kidnapping, she had been terrified. Still recovering from the shock of being assaulted and blatantly used as a tool of blackmail, she had stared at him in horror while he'd recounted every single detail. It had taken her some time to wrap her head around it and her initial response had been to panic. Yet, as she had looked Jack in the eyes, she'd seen how tired and worried he had been and had realized that an emotional outburst on her part would only make matters worse for both of them. She had no longer been responsible for only herself – another life depended on her wellbeing. Any additional strain would affect the baby and she had already been through enough. Jack, on the other hand, had been blaming himself for their misfortune, which had only added to the pressure he'd been under. So, instead of acting on her fears, she had decided to stay calm and provide Jack with all the moral support she could.

It hadn't been easy. To say that the fear of danger lurking around every corner had been overwhelming would be an understatement. She'd had to pay extra attention and watch her every step. In the rare occasions when she wasn't accompanied by Jack, Anna or Tia, her consolation had been that undercover agents were keeping an eye on her.

As a means to distract herself and avoid developing a case of paranoia, she had focused her energy on the two other pressing issues in her life. First and foremost, as much as it had depended on her, she had done everything in her power to ensure a healthy pregnancy. It had taken her a while to get used to the thought that her life would change forever, but Jack's undying enthusiasm and constant support had helped her get accustomed to the thought and soon she had felt excited at the prospect of meeting this unplanned, unexpected small person. Even so, unlike Jack who, despite all stress-inducing problems, had instantly assumed the role of a dad-to-be, for her the shift had only happened about four months later when she had first felt the baby moving. It had been the middle of the night and the strange sensation in her belly had jolted her awake. She had been scared at first, not knowing what to make of it, until she had felt it again at which point anxiety had been replaced by amazement mixed with sheer joy. Overcome with emotion, she had nudged Jack awake. He had been slightly disoriented, sleepily asking her if there was anything wrong. Without a word, she'd pulled his hand and rested it on the side of her belly. She could never forget his reaction – the moment the baby had moved again, his eyes had shot open and he'd jumped into a sitting position, the sleep gone and forgotten in an instant. He'd looked at her in bewilderment and she'd simply nodded to his silent question, at which point his lips had spread into a wide smile and his eyes had glazed over. Glancing at the bump, he'd reached to hastily wipe a tear that had rolled down his cheek before he'd looked at her and let out a happy laugh.

That night, she had realized how real it all was and, contrary to her own expectations, she had been strangely accepting of it. The next morning, she had woken up with a new perspective on life and an entirely different connection to the little life growing inside of her. It hadn't been long until she'd caught herself absentmindedly talking to the bump, while going about her everyday life.

Unwilling to fall back on her education, she had focused her remaining energy on completing her degree. Finding equilibrium had been challenging at times, especially after her baby bump had become more defined, resulting in odd looks and unwanted attention. Nevertheless, she had successfully submitted her thesis and passed all her exams, graduating with flying colors.

A sudden movement she felt inside of her brought her out of her thoughts. She glanced down and caressed her belly before returning her attention to the game.

* * *

The sun had started its descent towards the horizon, bathing everything it touched in warm golden light as the day slowly gave way to its counterpart. The brilliant rays were reflected in the sparkling windows of the suburban homes, adding ethereal glow to the serene scenery.

While the sight was undeniably beautiful, Elsa couldn't help wondering why of all places Jack had taken her there. When earlier that day he had suggested a road trip, she had imagined they would drive to the coast and have a romantic walk on the beach, their bare feet sinking into the wet sand as the pristine sea water caressed their skin. Visiting the Aredenlle suburbs had been the last thing she had expected.

However, as he navigated the car through the narrow, almost devoid of traffic streets, she felt a strange familiarity with the surroundings and a feeling of nostalgia settled in the stomach. A wistful smile crept on her lips just when the moving landscape slowed down, as Jack eased the car into a standstill. The engine went silent and she tore her eyes away from the view outside the window, diverting her attention to Jack. She followed his movements as he got out of the car and rushed to open the door for her, letting the hot summer air fill the air-conditioned interior of the vehicle. Then he offered her his hand and she took it gratefully. Allowing him to help her out of the car, she wondered when such a simple activity had become so complicated for her. Once out of the recently-turned-uncomfortable confinement of the passenger seat, she stretched a little in an attempt to relieve the tense muscles of her back.

"Do you remember this place?" Jack asked, gently placing a hand on her waist.

Her eyes settled on the playground and she smiled. "How could I ever forget?" she said. "It's where we first met."

Fourteen years later, it still looked the same. The once vibrant colors of the playground equipment had faded and the paint had worn off here and there, but the place had retained its innocent charm. The last time she remembered visiting that playground was when she and Anna had gone for one last walk around the old neighborhood right before they had moved out of their birth home.

She glanced up at him, noting his faraway look and somewhat thoughtful expression, which didn't surprise her, knowing how significant this place for him. However, she was still curious precisely what had brought them there.

Sensing her eyes on him, Jack looked down at her and smiled. "Come," he urged and slowly guided her forward, amused by the adorable way she wobbled slightly on her feet.

They walked towards the swing set just as the last remaining kids were getting ready to leave, no doubt heading home for dinner. Jack helped Elsa take a seat on a swing before occupying the one next to it. They sat in silence for a while, simply watching the sun lower itself behind the horizon, painting the sky in vivid palette of red and violet tones.

"It was right here," Jack suddenly said, earning himself a puzzled look from Elsa.

She stared at him, confused by his abrupt statement, and was just about to ask him to clarify what he was referring to, when he spoke again.

"I was sitting on this exact swing, when you first came to me," he explained. "I remember it like it was yesterday. I'll never forget."

He shifted his position to face her and gave her a small smile. He fell silent and it seemed as if he'd completely immersed himself in those memories from so long ago.

Elsa gazed at him and admired the way the dying sunlight gave his silver-white hair an amber tint, almost making it look like he had a halo. There was a playful twinkle in his eyes and it reminded her that, while he'd grown into a strong and mature man, the young boy she had met all those years ago still lived within him.

Suddenly, he stood up and swiftly moved to kneel in front of her. He took her hand in his and planted a long, soft kiss on it, closing his eyes as he savored the moment. "Do you remember what you told me seven months ago?" he then asked, looking up at her.

She frowned, cocking her head to the side. "Seven months ago?" she repeated incredulously. "Jack, I don't remember what I had for breakfast this morning."

He chuckled. "Well, let me refresh your memory then," he said, grinning. "It was right after the Christmas charity ball and we had just finished our heated session of… having fun," he added with a mischievous wink," and were relaxing in the bathtub. I asked you if you ever thought about us starting a family together." Pausing, he placed a hand on her belly. "Little did I know that this precious one was already on its way."

Elsa glanced to the side, trying to recall their conversation from that night but, before she could, Jack enlightened her.

"You told me that you will be ready to discuss marriage when _The Guardians_ win against _The Nightmares_ at the National Championship," he quoted and watched how her eyes flicked to him and widened, as she undoubtedly started to realize where the conversation was headed.

The memory of her reaction the last time he had raised this particular topic surfaced in his mind and he gulped nervously, silently praying her response would be different this time. His heart was thundering in his chest as he prepared himself to ask her the million-dollar question. "Now, you and I both know which team is this season's National Champion. So, I'd like to ask you something," he said quietly, as he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small, dark-blue velvety box.

Elsa gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth, when Jack opened the box to reveal the gorgeous ring inside.

"Will you marry me?"

* * *

**A/N: OMG OMG OMG **

**Aaaand once again I took long to update. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed it at least. That said, the only part of this story that's left is the epilogue, which I'm hoping to deliver sooner than later.**

**For anyone following my other chaptered story, **_A Different Kind of Perfect_** \- the next update will be delayed because I'll be traveling.**


	24. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

A piercing cry stirred Elsa from her blissful slumber. The sound was distorted as if playing on an old radio and in her barely awakened state it took her a moment to realize it was coming from the baby monitor on her bed stand. Groaning, she reached to switch the device off hoping to spare Jack's hearing. Perhaps he'd been lucky enough to not have registered the crying yet.

Once silence was restored in their bedroom, she took a deep breath and begrudgingly pushed the covers off. She was just about to swing her legs over the edge of the bed when she felt a heavy arm wrap itself around her waist and hold her down.

"I'll go," Jack murmured in a raspy voice. "You stay in bed."

Before she could object, she heard the rustling of the bedsheets and the movement of the mattress, followed by his heavy footsteps as he tiredly dragged his feet across the floor. She watched him open the door and disappear in the hallway and while she was grateful he had sacrificed his comfort for hers she couldn't help the pang of guilt she felt, knowing he'd have to get up early in the morning to take their six-year-old son, Lucas, to school.

Resting her head back on the pillow, she tried to stay awake out of solidarity.

Jack yawned widely and rubbed the back of his neck, as he walked down the corridor towards the nursery. He was still not quite awake, but fortunately for him after five years of living in this house he could easily navigate through it even with his eyes closed. And if that hadn't been the case, then his daughter's shrill cries for attention would have been enough of a guide.

The house he'd bought as a wedding gift for Elsa. The topic of purchasing a new home had surfaced shortly after their son's birth. While they both had loved the apartment they had been living in, they'd felt that their little boy would need more space to play and would generally be much better off growing up in the suburbs. They had discussed it at length and had even visited a few potential properties. He had made sure to note down all of Elsa's preferences, but he'd also done everything possible to stall the purchase. Being who he was, he'd wanted to make it special for Elsa so he'd decided to surprise her. He still vividly remembered her face upon fist seeing their new home.

Considering he had proposed to her about two months before her due date, they had decided to postpone the wedding until after the baby was born and shortly after their son's first birthday they had said their vows. With the intention of keeping that special day simple and private, they had opted for a short but romantic ceremony to which only their closest friends had been invited. Since both his and Elsa's parents had been no longer among the living, the only family members present had been Bunny's parents and sisters.

The day after the reception, which had taken place at a charming, little inn in a nearby resort, they had thanked their guests and waited for all of them to be on their way before he had loaded the car with their overnight bags and the gifts they had received. Then he had helped Elsa strap Lucas into his car seat and they had headed home… only not the home Elsa had had in mind.

Just as they had reached the outskirts of Arendelle, he had pulled over and reached into the glove compartment to take out a dark cloth. Claiming he had a surprise for her, he'd asked her to put on the blindfold. His unexpected and strange request had left her puzzled but, after he'd told her to trust him, she had reluctantly tied the cloth over her eyes. The remaining twenty-minute drive he'd spent dodging her question as her confusion and curiosity had been replaced by frustration with his secrecy.

Finally, he'd pulled up in front of a large two-storey yellow-brick house, located in an upper-middle class suburb overlooking the sea. A spacious front yard separated the house from the tall, neatly trimmed hedge which served as a fence. What wasn't visible from where they had stood was the even bigger back yard with a clear view of the sea.

He'd switched the engine off and reached into the glove compartment to take out a small remote control. Asking a still blindfolded and at that point pouty Elsa for a little more patience, he'd stepped out of the car and walked to the other side to open the door for her. Gingerly taking her hand, he'd helped her out of her seat before unbuckling Lucas and scooping him in his arms. He'd then pointed the remote control towards the ornate iron gate, situated in a gap in the hedge, and pressed a button. As the gate had opened with a metal click, he'd reached to undo Elsa's blindfold with the words 'Welcome home'.

Admittedly, he'd been a bit nervous about showing her the house. He'd not regretted the purchase even for a moment. Nevertheless, as Elsa's eyes had fluttered open and she had blinked adjusting to the bright light, he'd wondered if she would scold him for making such an important decision, without consulting her first. Her gaze had settled on the unknown house and she'd stared at it in confusion until his words had finally sunk in and the realization had hit her. He'd watched her whole face light up as her lips had spread into an excited smile. That had been right before she'd turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck with a happy shriek.

Jack chuckled at the memory and opened the door to the nursery. Wincing at the loudness of his daughter's voice, he quickly slipped inside the room, before her mighty cries filled the hallway, and noted absentmindedly that with such pipes she would probably grow up to be an opera singer.

Once he found the light switch and flipped it, he crossed the room and bent over the crib.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," he said soothingly and carefully took the two-month-old baby in his arms, making sure to support her head. "Daddy's here, little sweetheart."

His tender embrace seemed to have an immediate effect – her cries became slightly hesitant and definitely less loud. He held her to his chest and pressed his lips to her head, giving her a lingering kiss while he swayed her gently in an attempt to calm her further and hopefully make her fall asleep again. When two minutes later his efforts proved utterly unsuccessful, he promptly checked if she needed to be changed. Seeing as it wasn't the case, he figured there was only one other reason for her unstoppable cries.

"Okay, you're hungry," he concluded. "It's seems only Mommy can help now, so let's take you to her."

With another kiss to her head, he turned around and carried her out of the nursery, stopping only to switch the lights off using his elbow. Not bothering to close the door behind him, he headed to the master bedroom. He grimaced and increased his tempo when her voice echoed off the walls of the hallway. With a little luck, her older brother hadn't heard anything and was still fast asleep. Unfortunately, all such hope vanished when he heard a tired voice call out to him.

"Dad?"

Sighing softly, Jack turned around to see his six-year-old at the other end of the hallway. Standing by the door of his room, Lucas was nervously fidgeting with the hem of PJs top. Much like his own unruly hair, his son's white-blond locks were in their usual tousled state, disheveled further by the fact that until recently he'd been asleep. The hair was one of many physical traits Lucas had inherited from him and Jack remarked that with every passing day his son looked more and more like him, the only difference being Lucas had Elsa's eyes

"Hey, little man," Jack said and walked over, gently bouncing the baby in his arms. Thankfully, his daughter, Charlotte, seemed to have calmed down even though she was still huffing and puffing and smacking her lips as if to remind him he was on mission to bring her to her food source. "Why aren't you in bed?" he asked and mentally rolled his eyes at his own pointless question. After all, Charlotte was capable of great decibels.

"I had a nightmare," Lucas complained, taking a step forward. "I'm scared and I can't sleep."

Jack's expression softened. Giving Lucas a kind smile, he readjusted his hold on Charlotte to support her with only one arm and extended his free hand towards his son, who didn't hesitate to take it.

"Come," he urged quietly and led Lucas towards the master bedroom.

Whenever Lucas would wake up during the night, he would come running to their bedroom, which was most certainly where he'd been headed this time too. In such cases, either him or Elsa would take Lucas back to his room and read to him until he fell back asleep. It was an exhausting but effective strategy they had developed to prevent Lucas from making a habit of sleeping in their bed. Their goal had been some much needed privacy because, with their boy growing up, uninterrupted late-night activities had become a luxury.

This time, however, Jack decided to make an exception. Charlotte had started to whimper and it wouldn't be long before she unleashed another mighty cry upon their innocent ears and he wanted to take her to Elsa before that happened.

Elsa yawned and lazily turned around to look at the alarm clock on Jack's night stand. It seemed he had another three hours until he would have to wake up, prepare breakfast and get Lucas ready for school, enabling her to sleep for a while longer or at least until Charlotte would wake up needing to be changed and fed. Following the birth of their daughter, he'd taken charge of nearly all tasks relating to their son which had allowed her to focus on herself and Charlotte, who currently depended almost entirely on her. It went without saying that she appreciated every little thing he did to make it easy on her. Yet what really warmed her heart was that taking care of her and their children made him the happiest man alive.

After _The Guardians _had been named National Champion for the first time, Jack had retired from hockey. To many it had come as a shock to see one of the team's star players leave so suddenly, especially after such a successful season and with no previously shown intent. It hadn't helped that he had made the unexpected announcement at the post-match press conference and had replied to the swarm of questions with little to no detail. To those closest to him, however, the reason had been clear – his career hadn't been worth the risk.

Once he'd left the world of professional hockey, he'd invested his efforts into growing his and Bunny's skating school. In just one year they had managed to expand it, doubling the number of courses they offered and attracting more kids from different age groups. His success had not once come at hers or their son's expense and, despite his busy schedule, Jack had remained a devoted husband and father, always putting her and Lucas first.

When Lucas had turned two, Jack had encouraged her to continue her education just as she had always wanted. At first, she had been opposed to the idea, saying it would be better to wait until Lucas was a bit older, but he'd quickly dodged her reluctance by telling her he'd wanted to try being a stay-at-home dad. Given they could also afford it, she had had no reason to object so she had enrolled in a Master's program and a year later she had earned a degree in Applied Arts. Following graduation, she had started making small clay sculptures, decorations and jewelry which she would sell in an artisan shop in central Arendelle. Once a week she would teach a beginners class in figure skating at the skating school and during winter she would participate in ice sculpture competitions. Quite a few trophies already adorned the shelves in the spare room which Jack had converted into a workshop for her.

Somewhere along the way, she had seen how immensely happy she was. Nothing - from the unexpected pregnancy to her career path – had worked out according to her plans. Yet she couldn't have been more satisfied with her life so far. Jack had been supporting her in every way he could, and Lucas… well, he had been a delightful surprise. His looks he had inherited from Jack but many of his personality traits he had gotten from her. That had turned out as an interesting combination, which only made her wonder how Charlotte would grow up to be.

Unlike Lucas, Charlotte had been no accident. There was no doubt that bringing up a child was no easy task. She and Jack had faced many challenges in that respect and sometimes, during the sleepless nights filled with crying and dirty diapers, they had questioned their ability to manage it all. What had given them strength had been all those joy-filled moments like Lucas' first smile, his first word or his first steps. At some point during those moments they had realized they both wanted one more baby. Only, the second time around, the right timing for conception had been thoroughly discussed and planned. The only detail they had failed to take into account had been Anna and Kristoff's wedding and as a result Anna had ended up with a heavily pregnant maid of honor.

The sound of the door opening distracted her from her thoughts and she turned around to see Jack bringing in some unexpected company. Pushing herself into a half-sitting position, she reached to turn on the bedside lamp and watched him let go of Lucas' hand before closing the door.

"Get in bed," Jack said softly and gently nudged Lucas as he stepped further into the room.

Lucas needed no further encouragement. He quickly crossed the room and climbed onto the king sized bed, settling in Elsa's open arms. She hugged him tightly and planted a kiss to his forehead, before she gave Jack a curious look.

"He had a nightmare," Jack explained in an answer to her silent question.

"Awww, you poor baby," Elsa cooed, running her hand soothingly up and down Lucas' back.

Jack chuckled, noting with amusement that their son had once again managed to weasel his way into their bed and was now comfortably settling next to Elsa… on _his_ pillow no less. He shook his head and approached the bed.

"And little princess Charlotte is hungry," he added and bent down to carefully pass the whimpering baby girl into Elsa's arms.

Elsa cradled Charlotte and leaned back, resting against the padded headboard of the bed. "Let's take care of that, shall we?" she murmured and pulled the strap of her nightgown down her shoulder. Then she moved the cotton fabric to the side and let the baby latch onto her exposed breast.

Jack walked to the other side of the bed and climbed under the covers. He shuffled closer to Elsa and pulled an already snoozing Lucas to himself. Wrapping his arms around his son's small body, he kissed the top of his head and smiled when Lucas subconsciously snuggled closer to him.

"Elsa," he said quietly after a few moments spent in silence.

"Mmm?" she muttered, glancing at him.

He hesitated briefly as he studied her features. The six years that had passed since Lucas' birth barely showed on her face. She remained as youthful and beautiful as ever and her body exhibited almost no signs of the fact that she had carried and given birth to two children. Her personality, however, was a different story. Many changes had come with motherhood. The most prominent one had been that the distant, ambitious and career driven girl had given way to a loving and caring mother who had reinvented herself and found new joys in life. As far as he was concerned though, deep down inside she was the same little girl who had reignited his love for life, given him a new start and, later on, had grown into the gorgeous woman who had gifted him his own family.

Realizing he'd been staring at her for the past minute, he cleared his throat and spoke. "If you could go back in time and re-live your life until now," he began, slowly stroking Lucas' hair, "would you do anything differently?"

Elsa cocked an eyebrow. It was too much of an existential question for a three-in-the-morning conversation but she knew exactly what he was asking. He was trying to sound casual, as if keeping her company while she was breastfeeding, but his eyes betrayed the real meaning of his question – after all these years and everything he had done for her, he still wanted to make sure she was truly happy.

She looked at him – the man who had proven to be the most amazing friend, husband and father – and smiled. At thirty-four he hadn't changed one bit. He retained his boyish charm and the mischievous glint in his eyes and, instead of changing, over time he had simply revealed more of himself. For all the years she had known him, he had perfectly fulfilled every single role life had thrown at him which had only served as proof of how special he really was. Day by day she fell more and more in love with him.

Sighing softly, she shifted her eyes to Charlotte, who was still suckling peacefully, and caressed her small face. "Perhaps," she replied truthfully. "But… no matter how many options I would be given," she continued as her gaze settled on him again, "I would still choose to visit that playground on that gloomy winter day." She watched as his trademark lop-sided grin spread across his lips and gave him a smile of her own. "What about you?"

Jack's eyes softened, as he glanced down at the sleeping boy in his arms, then at the baby girl she was holding, and finally at her. His smile widened.

"I wouldn't change a thing."

* * *

**A/N: The End.**

**Before I say my final remarks, I would like to clarify that Lucas and Charlotte are mine and **WickedgreenPhantom**'s OCs. We've created them together and they're our version of the Jelsa kids. And in case you were wondering, Charlotte grows up to look like Elsa but with Jack's eyes. **

**Just like that the story is over and I still can't believe it. It took me such a long time to finish it and it feels strange that I will never write another chapter for it. I still have another on-going story and I might write more one-shots and even another chaptered story, but **_Give It a Chance_** will forever hold a special place in my heart.**

**I would like to give special thanks to all of you who were patient enough to stick with this story till the end! It means a lot :)**

**Thanks also to everybody who has ever reviewed, followed or favorited this story!**

**That said, it's been a real pleasure :)**

**Oni out.**


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